Dark Seas
by ASouffleToServeTwo
Summary: Join me on this most bizarre of voyages as I lay out my concept for a Dark Souls-style game about pirates, curses and the dawn of the new world. Inspired by 'The King of Ruin' and 'Daughters of the Abyss' by Leider Hosen. Rated K because I want your imagination to do a lot of the work.
1. Character Creation & Imperial Gaol

**A/N: Hey everybody! You may remember me from that Origins of Dreams thingy I wrote a little bit ago. If you enjoyed that, you might also enjoy this. Based upon the story structure so well-established by my pally Leider Hosen, this story envisions a Souls-style game set in an age of piracy and nautical warfare that is slowly coming to an end. It features area, enemy and boss concepts straight from my own imagination, as well as a story that is somewhat original in style to the well-trodden formula we know.**

 **Without further ado, I give you… Dark Seas.**

* * *

Prologue Cutscene

 _"_ _Water, water, everywhere,_

 _And all the boards did shrink;_

 _Water, water, everywhere,_

 _Nor any drop to drink."_

 _―_ _Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner_

* * *

"Man rose from the sea. He was born from it. Raised by it. Nurtured by it.

But the sea was not man's to claim. The sea is nobody's to claim."

A silhouetted figure slowly drags itself up the rocks on a high tide. Their tattered clothes are whipped backwards by a fierce sea breeze.

"Many have tried. Four great powers once came together to found a land of freedom and equality upon the restless oceans. It was named Freegalia."

The figure appears in front of a pair of worn, algae-covered wooden gates that lead through a gaping cliff face into a large city built upon the sea. Their gloves, weathered by the elements, press gently against the wood, trying to push it open.

"Freegalia was a powerful land, brimming with the energy of the ancients, and within its proud walls the four great powers brought much prosperity to their people. Within the old waters, they found the cure for death itself, spreading it amongst their kin. But one day, they were betrayed by their most trusted associate."

A new figure emerges onto the balcony of a tall, grey-stoned tower, looking out over Freegalia's expansive regions.

"King Podrice and his imperial legions set about ruining their nautical empire. They sent great fleets to destroy Freegalia, sending it into the depths of the ocean. The ancient waters were lost, buried under a hail of flame and timber. Podrice and his armies pursued the four great powers to the ends of the earth, until the water ran no more, and the sea was barren. But still, they never gave up."

Great galleons shift in a churning sea, their sails flapping wildly. Freegalia is set alight, the screams of the dying filling the air, escaping ships sinking under cannonfire.

"The age of piracy was over, and the age of imperialism had begun. Podrice retired to his castle in Grassun Keep, surrounded by his legion of faithful soldiers. The land of Dayle was forever condemned to his lethal touch."

"And yet, the ancient bloodline survived, and flourished on the outskirts of the land. Freegalia, eventually all-but a myth passed about by word-of-mouth, was said to be the key to reversing the fortunes of the spurned ancestors. The reclamation of the fabled cure-all waters was said to be enough to destroy Podrice and end his tyrannous reign for good."

Pan over a pool of deep, evanescent green water, glimmering with hope, and prospects for the future.

"But only a true Freegalian heir could ever hope to find the fabled lost city. Many have risen and fallen, slain by the imperials, the natives of the islands of Dayle, and the foulspawn creatures that arose from the ashes of Freegalia. And so, the seas of time churn, awaiting their next hero…"

Camera zooms on a new figure, striding out of the darkness and into the light.

* * *

Character Creation!

 _Choose from one of nine build presets:_

 _· Sailor: Atypical seafaring warrior. Has a natural prowess with firearms and imperial weaponry._

 _· Foreigner: Traveller from a distant land beyond Dayle. Utilizes eastern weaponry like katanas, whilst possessing a natural ability in Tidal Divinations._

 _· Marauder: Savage bandit, wielding boarding axes and firearms. Bestowed with inhuman stamina and prowess._

 _· Trader: Silver-tongued merchantfolk with a large collection of oddiites and trinkets. When threatened, can utilise a pair of twinblades in battle._

 _· Explorer: Magpies of the Dayle seas, always on the lookout for treasure, and with a greater capacity to carry them. In combat, fights with a cutlass or firearm._

 _· Pilgrim: Follower of the Covenant of the Six Seas. Proficient in the use of New Age Charms, as well as in the use of blunt weapons like maces and hammers._

 _· Sea Hexer: Heretical sorcerer utilising the darker side of Tidal Divinations, Tidal Hexes. Executed on sight in Dayle._

 _· Sellsword: Wandering mercenary sent to damage the Imperial ranks. Uses a wide variety of weapons in combat, including the lesser-seen flail class._

 _· Village Fool: Moronic champion of the low people. Escaped from the village stocks to go out on a grand quest, but forgot their attire and gear. Won't last five seconds._

The various stats you will level throughout the game:

 _· Resilience: Governs HP and HP-recovery rate. – Best Class: Sailor._

 _· Endurance: Governs stamina bar and resistances to afflictions. – Best Class: Marauder._

 _· Vitality: Governs equipment load and speed of weapon strikes. – Best Class: Foreigner._

 _· Ambition: Governs item drops and resistance to The Curse. – Best Class: Trader._

 _· Cartography: Governs proximity to treasure, ability to withstand hidden traps. – Best Class: Explorer (treasure proximity is a new feature to Dark Seas. Essentially, the higher the stat, the higher chance you will be prompted at random intervals to dig in the earth and find a rare and valuable item)_

 _· Dexterity: Governs attack power of light weaponry and firearms. – Best Class: Foreigner._

 _· Prowess: Governs attack power of heavy weaponry and firearms. – Best Class: Marauder._

 _· Skill: Governs attack power of special weaponry. – Best Class: Sellsword._

 _· Zeal: Governs power and duration of New Age Charms. – Best Class: Pilgrim._

 _· Arcane: Governs power of Tidal Divinations – Best Class: Foreigner._

 _· Inner Soul Darkness: Governs power of Tidal Hexes, lowers resistance to damage. Increases number of enemy attackers in an area. – Best Class: Sea Hexer._

The last one is particular interesting as it allows you to set your own difficulty going forward, whilst also slightly nerfing anyone who uses the most batshit OP source of attack in the game, Tidal Hexes.

 _Here are the options of starting gifts (prized treasures):_

 _· Bag of Salt: A bag of salt that can be exchanged for 10'000 doubloons, the currency of the game._

 _· Jewel of the Frigid Bay: Shiny treasure celebrating Mattas' pilgrimage across the new world. Grants extra power to New Age Charms if held in trinket spot. (Trinket spot is an optional extra ring slot that can be filled by various different gemstones, each possessing a different effect)_

 _· Bloodstained Nail: Gory token taken by the marauders that haunt the Barren Sea. Can be driven into flesh to grant extra weapon damage for a short period of time._

 _· Dead Jellyfish: Corpse of a beached jellyfish, taken from the shores of Alscratio Island. Spread its life essence across a weapon to grant it the power of poison damage for a short period of time._

 _· Firefly Napalm: Jar filled with flaming bugs native to Alscratio Island. Spread their life essence across a weapon to grant it the power of fire damage for a short period of time._

 _· Remnants of a Beachlurker: Bone fragments of a Beachlurker, an insidious creature that feeds on darkness. Spread its life essence across a weapon to grant it the power of curse damage for a short period of time._

 _· Golden Nugget: Chunk of gold ore mined from the caverns of Dayle. Can be shattered to grant a luckbearing aura that grants increased item drop/treasure proximity for a short period of time._

 _· Parrot Skull: Odd item with no apparent effect. Supposedly taken from an old parrot named Crackers._

Once you have created your character (eye patches and wooden limbs are available) you are greeted by another cutscene.

 _"Young seafarer, you have one goal. Unite the blood of the four great powers, and breathe new life into fabled Freegalia, so that the world might be freed from Podrice's iron rule. To accomplish your goal, you must seek the four beings responsible for Freegalia's foundation._

 _Captain Wovern, the revered captain of the old ship Darktreader, and ruler of the Barren Seas. (A tall, muscled man with a scraggy black beard and a pair of gigantic machetes, facing away from you on the darkened deck of his ship.)_

 _Pilgrim Mattas, the emissary of the New Age and conqueror of the unknown world. (An aged man wearing white and gold plated armour somewhat comparable to a samurai's set, holding a prayerbook in one hand)_

 _Captain Salidor, holder of the Phantom Blade and king over the Isle of the Dead. (A thin man with a trenchcoat, surrounded by dense jungle and a mass of mysterious gravestones)_

 _And the merchant brothers Hyraat and Boliver, prosperous traders of the united world. (Two young men with cheery faces in golden robes)_

 _Shed their blood, young seafarer, and bring peace to Dayle. That is all I must ask. That is all we ask."_

Cutscene ends, cue the first level.

* * *

 **\- IMPERIAL GAOL –**

That's right, it's another fecking prison level. You start out in a small cinderblock cell facing out into a wide, circular room, with several mean-looking guards dressed in blue Imperial garbs and wielding sharp cutlasses.

Suddenly, there is an explosion in the distance, and all the guards go running outside, one of them dropping their key just a few metres outside of your cell. With a good strain, you manage to grab the key and unlock your cell.

Depending on what class you started out with, you will have the following weapons:

Sailor: Imperial Sabre – Standard blade of the imperial legion, King Podrice's lethal legion. Similar in combat to a longsword from DaS./Imperial Musket: Firearm used by the majority of the lower echelons of the Imperial navy. Long reload times are made up for in sharp damage.

Foreigner: Palmsplitter: Katana so-named for its practical uselessness in Dayle, this weapon is nonetheless lethal against most enemies/Ripple Divination: Sends a short-range shockwave through an enemy's body, dealing damage over time. 10 Casts.

Marauder: Crushing Handaxe: One-handed axe used to break bones. Similar to a hand axe/battle axe from DaS/Black Market Blunderbuss: Heavy-hitting firearm with a very small ammo capacity and long reload times.

Trader: Bejewelled Twinblades: Sparkly twinblades that, in spite of their well-kept appearance, grant standard effectiveness in battle/Flintlock Pistol: Small one-shot pistol packing enormous damage potential if used up-close.

Explorer: Dayle Cutlass: Standard-use cutlass of Dayle inhabitants. Useful against un-armoured foes/Flintlock Pistol (same as above)

Pilgrim: Mattas Mace: Mace resembling the legendary weapon of Pilgrim Mattas, conqueror of the unknown world - similar to the mace from DaS/Restoration New Age Charm: Heals up to a third of a full health bar. 10 casts.

Sea Hexer: Shattered Deacon Staff: Staff of an old deacon of the New Age, who was turned by the gnawing darkness of the frigid bay. Used to cast Tidal Hexes, and Divinations with reduced damage/Dark Glimpse: Control an enemy for up to two minutes. 20 casts.

Sellsword: Old Hook & Chain: One of the new flail weapons, constructed out of scrapheap materials. Can be used to flay off armour or deal chip damage to tough enemy hide/Sellsword Scimitar: Curved blade of the sellswords of Dayle, used to deal damage to unarmoured foes.

Village Fool: Bullwhip: Leather whip utilised in the discipline of common cattle. Hardly an effective weapon, but in some dire circumstances, anything is better than nothing.

Combat in this game is a lot like in Bloodborne, with no shields and guns replacing the left hand slot.

So, first area time. The Imperial Gaol is a short tutorial level, set in a dank old prison on an island just off the shore of Grassun Keep. The security is minimal inside now that all the soldiers have run outside, but you will encounter a few enemies.

 **Cursed Prisoner: A fellow Freegalia descendant who has succumbed to the Curse of the Barren Sea. They wear emaciated clothes and use their fists to attack, but watch out for the tentacles which spew from their mouths at intervals, as these can actually do some decent damage.**

 **Gaol Bat: Small enemy along the lines of the flies in Blighttown. More of a nuisance than anything else, but if you aren't careful enough you can contract one of three afflictions in the game, Pestilence, from these enemies. Unlike in other Souls games, afflictions in this game are not curable without obtaining certain items and do not fade over time or even with death. Pestilence has the effect of constant stamina drain, meaning you will never be at full stamina and will only be able to swing a few times per bar until you get it cured. And the item to cure it won't be available until the next area, so be careful!**

 **Imperial Guardsmen: There are two of these guys scattered throughout the level, and are basically the Red/Blue-eyed knights of Dark Seas. They are much more agile and aggressive than other enemies in the level, and should be fought carefully. They may occasionally drop their armour set and weapon.**

 **Imperial Guardsmen Hat/Garb/Gloves/Trousers: Attire of the Imperial guardsmen who patrol Grassun Keep and the offshore gaol used to house Freegalian descendants. Althoughly woven with fine silk, they can offer decent protection against light weaponry, although gunfire will tear them apart.**

 **Guardsmen's Blade: Shortsword of the guardsmen of Grassun Keep. Although many of these men were originally stationed at the Keep, their new objective of securing enemies of the state means that many of them have taken up a permanent position on the grim island gaol.**

You can find the following items scattered throughout the gaol:

· Salt Pouch: Obtain 5000 doubloons when traded with vendors. (x3)

· Dayle Brandy: Provides faster stamina regen for three minutes. (x2)

· Imperial Telescope: Binoculars of the game.

· Prison Rags set: Rags of prisoners left to rot in the Imperial Gaol. Long ago, the island was said to be host to a terrible curse that rotted its inhabitants from the inside out. Perhaps that is why the old king Podrice saw fit to transform it into a home for his greatest enemies – the Freegalian descendants.

· Torch Splint: Fragment of wood dipped in oil to create a temporary torch. Each splint lasts up to seven minutes before being extinguished, although with each minute passing the light from the torch will grow dimmer.

· And, just before the boss encounter, you find the Spirit Bottle: Luminous green flask said to have contained healing water from Freegalia. Perhaps the legends have some truth to them, for drinking water from this bottle grants mild health restoration. You get 5 chugs off the bat.

After killing the last enemy in the area, you will enter a small, round room ending in a portcullis. As you step forwards, a loud growl and bark will be heard, and a five-foot, two-headed Rottweiler-like dog trailing foam from its gnarled mouth will rush at you from out of the darkness.

 **Gaol Watchdog** is a decidedly-easy boss encounter, as is to be expected from a tutorial fight. However, it does have one good trick up its sleeve.

· Bite: The Watchdog leaps forward, clamping its jaws around the player before releasing them. Does moderate damage.

· Claw Swipe: The Watchdog slices at the player from left-to-right, up to three times in succession.

· Pound: The Watchdog rears up whilst the player is in front of it, and brings both paws down hard upon the earth.

· Backslash: If the player gets behind the Watchdog, it will pivot round and slash at you. This attack has the potential to look adorable, as it sort of looks like the watchdog is chasing its own tail.

· Dark Pulse: The Watchdog's one tricksy move. At a reasonable distance, it opens its jaws and charges a dark ball of energy, which it can then release as a laser. If you take the whole hit, you will most certainly die.

Defeating the Cerberus wannabe grants you the message 'Soul Reaved', and the 'Watchdog's Ink.' Once you get to the hub world of the game, you can use this ink to graft yourself an upgrade using the new tattoo system, which basically replaces boss weapons. The best part is, you can put said tattoo anywhere on your characters body.

 **The Watchdog Ink description reads: Ink commissioned in celebration of the life of the old Gaol Watchdog. A deformed mutant born from the corruption of its home, the guardsmen of the Gaol nonetheless grew incredibly fond of the pup, and raised it lovingly to defend the Gaol from escaping prisoners.**

From its ink, you may get a tattoo of the animal, which grants you double weapon damage when using heavy weapons such as hammers, great hammers and cannons.

With the Watchdog dead, the portcullis opens, and stepping through it grants you a new cutscene introducing you to the hubworld, of the game: The Dragon's Bounty.


	2. Dragon's Bounty & Grassun Harbour

**\- THE DRAGON'S BOUNTY –**

As you step outside of the gaol, you see a large mothafuckin' pirate ship pull into the harbour, setting down a strip of wood for you to climb aboard. With the imperial guardsmen now turning their attentions towards you, you don't have much hesitation, even in spite of the unfamiliarity of the situation.

Rushing aboard the ship, it pulls away onto the high sea, leaving the imperial guardsmen behind.

This is the Dragon's Bounty, your hub, and home in the world of Dark Seas.

You are greeted by a young woman dressed in a cloak and pirate hat, leaning against the railings of the ship. This is your first NPC, Greta.

"Ahh, hello there, young one. I suppose you're wondering why we have brought you aboard our ship. You must have many questions. Unfortunately, I cannot answer any of them. *Dickhead NPC laugh*"

"The Bounty is drawn to souls with the potential to alter fate. It has no captain, so-to-speak, and is drawn by the power of the ancient Freegalian peoples. It is, I believe, the last of their ships."

"I, like you, am a so-called 'chosen one.' I know, I know, it seems a bit dreary, doesn't it? But fear not, the business of soul-collection really couldn't be any simpler. Now, get out there and slay some fools. *Hahahaha*"

"What are you waiting for? You're not a chicken, are you?" (LOOPS)

After conversing with Greta for a while, you move on to the other NPCs aboard the Bounty's deck. It is probably the smallest hub in all of the Souls games, but there's still plenty to see and do. Another NPC, an old man called Samuel, sits by the port-side of the ship, looking out over the choppy waves.

"Hello there. My name is Samuel. I am here to provide the chosen souls with anything they might require. Weapons, equipment, tools of warfare. Name it, I've probably got it."

At this stage, he sells:

· Dead Jellyfish resin (500 doubloons each)

· Firefly Napalm resin (500 each)

· Throwing Knives (same as always, 100 each)

· Molotov Cocktails (same as in Bloodborne, 600 each)

· Seafarer Set, a leather pirates garb complete with hat and hook. Pretty good off-the-bat fashion souls. Description reads: "Attire of chosen souls riding the Dragon's Bounty. Provides adequate damage protection, with the added bonus of making one immune to the Pestilence affliction." You must, however, wear the full set to gain the immunity factor. (2'000 per piece)

· All of the starting weapons of all classes (6'000 each)

He has further dialogue, if you are interested in hearing it:

"I've been in business a long time, you know. Some people think me ninety, or a hundred years old. But in truth, I lost count once I became a hundred and fifty. *Old man chuckle* Afraid I'm of very little use for anything but trade now."

"You see that woman over there? Greta, I believe she is called? Don't trust a word that woman says. She is not what she claims to be. I know it deep in my salty bones."

"Well, have you found something you're interested in?" (LOOPS)

The final NPC on board the Bounty for the moment is a peculiar one. Walking past a green parrot resting upon a crate on the top-deck, you may be surprised to see an option for 'Talk' pop up. Here's what Squawkers has to say.

"*Squawk!* You… new. New sailor… Feed… squawkers… *squawk!*"

Unfortunately, this parrot is actually your levelling-up vendor in Dark Seas, and it won't provide you with the service unless you bring it food. So, for now, no levelling.

Once you've done exploring the Dragon's Bounty, you approach the steering wheel, and see a travel menu pop up. The only available slot right now is 'Grassun Harbour', so, selecting this, you set off.

 **\- GRASSUN HARBOUR -**

Grassun's prestigious port is a well-built up seaside town, with winding concrete streets and old, sturdy houses surrounded by a calm, deep sea. It is heavily based on the look of the town of Whitby, which I recently visited on holiday, and inspired a lot of my ideas for this concept (look up a picture of the town for a good visual baseline for this level). Atop the high cliffs and out of your reach for now, is the main castle, where Podrice resides. There are several routes through this level, and you'll want to make many trips through it to get all of the loot available. This is also the first area in the game where your Treasure Hunting ability can come in useful.

The first route takes you around the left perimeter of the harbour, round some old fishing huts and a stretch of piers culminating in a small inlet surrounded by a stone wall and a lighthouse. There is a small section of beach and sea for you to go paddling into, but such larking about will have to wait, for there is questing to be done.

The enemies you encounter throughout this level fall under three categories.

Firstly, the Imperial Guardsmen from the gaol return in their full glory, only this time as NORMAL ENEMIES. Yep, there is a large difficulty ramp in this level, and you can expect to die many times before you prevail. As before, they have a chance to drop their set and weapons.

Secondly, you will do battle with the guardsmen's hunting dogs, vicious hounds that patrol Grassun's labyrinthine streets in search of Freegalian blood. Like the Gaol Bats, these dogs are weak, but pack a nasty surprise if you are unlucky enough to be hit to many times by one. You can contract Sea Madness from these pups, which is an affliction that has a heavy burden on your movements. Whilst afflicted, you will constantly move as though with full equipment load, whilst still taking the same damage. However, you cannot exploit this by using the opportunity to stack heavy armour, for if you go over the equip load you had previously, you will become over-encumbered, as though casting iron flesh. Luckily, you can obtain cure items for this affliction as well as any other from Grassun Harbour, so fret not.

Finally, explicitly only in parts of the level overlooking the sea, you will battle with enemies known as Riptide Phantoms. As the name suggests, these enemies are non-corporeal, and cannot be damaged without the use of a special item, which can luckily be acquired in bulk in this level and subsequent levels. They appear as foggy, transparent humanoid figures dressed in torn and bloodied robes, with some carrying lanterns which they can use to cast fire divinations at you, whilst others have special weapons called Belaying Pins, which are essentially wooden clubs used as rods to secure ropes on a ship, repurposed by the phantoms as blunt weapons. They have a very rare chance of dropping these weapons, which give you a brief glance at their frightful lore.

Curse-Weathered Lantern: Rusted oil lantern, repurposed as a catalyst for divinations. Of a curious make, with glass that has been made opaque by the rough and churning Dayle seas. Those who have seen the phantasmal glow of one of these damned lanterns have told tall tales in the local tavern about their holders' frightful resemblance to the drowned Freegalians of old.

Perhaps truth and fiction are best left separated in such grim circumstances. (REQUIRES 25 ARCANE)

Moulded Belaying Pin: Rotting wooden rods used to anchor ropes onboard the fishing ships of Dayle. Although hardly their primary purpose, these rods make for brutal clubs in the hands of the strong. The ghastly phantoms that rise from Grassun's murky depths wield these clubs with an unnatural lust for vengeance, perhaps to be wrought against those who sent them to their watery graves long ago. (REQUIRES 16 PROWESS)

The following items can be obtained on the first route:

4x Salt Pouch

2x Dayle Brandy

3x Dayle Rum: Provides minimal, constant health regeneration for two minutes following consumption.

2x Molotov Cocktail

2x Torch Splint

4x Ethereal Brew: Allows attacking of phantom enemies.

Dayle Harpoon: Spear-class weapon with a unique R2 that utilizes a greathammer smash moveset. Description reads: Fishing harpoon used by fishermen in the Dayle region to haul in large prey. Due to their strong, sharp make, they make fine weapons. Providing, of course, you have the stomach for gutting men like fish... (REQUIRES 22 DEXTERITY, 18 PROWESS)

(In the sand on the beach, requires 13 Cartography or over): Grassun Pearl: Item for trinket spot that provides greatly increased item drops. Description reads: Pink, luminous pearl uncovered from the sands of Grassun Bay. This jewel seems to have become unstuck from a necklace or charm of some sort, and as such, only retains a fragment of its original lustre.

If you ascend to the top of the lighthouse and activate the beacon with a torch splint, a special cutscene plays summoning a decrepit, algae-encrusted sailboat into the harbour. It will dock by one of the piers, allowing you to board it and meet a new NPC merchant, a sure-to-be favourite of players, Charmer Tobias. An old, hunchbacked man dressed in a seaweed-coated robe, he sits alone in the depths of his ship, and will offer the player some unique, and incredibly useful items.

"Why, hello there traveller! Was it you who lit the beacon? Hmphh... It has been such a long time since I have been blessed by that soothing flame... For this, I am most grateful."

Continue: "Say, do you have an eye for oddities? Trinkets? Treasures? Well, then perhaps I can repay you somewhat for your kindness... Take a look at my wares and see what you think!"

At this point, he sells the following (the defeat of every boss grants new wares that will be listed in time):

Grassun Bandana: Silky black headdress of the old Grassun fighting troop, who have long-since retired from their tours of the Dayle coastline. The resilience and vigor of these old souls still lives on in this curious, oddly-bloodless hat. (4'000 doubloons)

Verdigris Opal: Trinket providing immunity to poison and Pestilence. Description reads: Gemstone invigorated by the natural aura of the isle of Garrapachio. The island was once a natural paradise, but after its colonisation by the heretical pirate Salidor, it fell into decay and most of its flora wilted. This stone retains the legacy of such plants, retaining their ability to heal maladies. (30'000 doubloons)

Sandy Conch (up to 50): Consumable item providing a defence boost for up to three minutes. Description reads: Conch shell taken from the shores of Grassun Keep. This shell, worn away by the sea, seems to whisper dark enticements to any who will grant their ear. Perhaps, as has been posited by locals, these shells have become possessed by wandering spirits. - True to the description, breaking one releases a short burst of hushed whispers. Sp00ky. (50 doubloons each)

Shimmering Compass: Hold item that grants a temporary boost to treasure discovery rate (+5 to whatever your Cartography stat is). Description reads: Compass that has lost its lustre, foraged from the Dayle coastline. This orientation tool once possessed the ability to guide one through the rough Dayle seas, but with the blessing of the missionaries of Mattas, now serves as a beacon for far more valuable guidance. (10'000 doubloons)

Further dialogue is available, filling in some gaps about the area. "Grassun Harbour was once a lively place. Ships came to and fro, led by the beautiful flame up in that tower. But then, the restless ones came. And with them, the quiet."

"The whispers of the dead still haunt these shores. Can you hear them?"

Answer yes: "Poor soul. Then you too are doomed to a similar fate."

Answer no: "I don't know if you are lying or not, but it hardly matters. These seas will claim us all one day. Such is our recompense."

"Be careful out there, traveller. These streets are haunted by a grisly hunter. Once, he sought out only those who would harm our king, but now... He is indiscriminate. In his eyes, we are all awaiting judgement. I pray you do not cross his path."

"Safe travels, friend. Come back any time." (LOOPS)

The second route through the area cuts straight through the middle of the town, over a bridge across a canal, and past several empty buildings. One, however, is a tavern named 'The Forsaken Anchor', and inside is another NPC. This is Innkeeper Gregory, and he has some insight on the town for you.

"A customer? Drat. And there was me thinking I had eternities to scrub these floors. Ha!"

"What can I get you, stranger? A tankard to ease your mind? I'm afraid I have nothing strong enough to banish those phantoms outside, but you'll have to make do. I'm not made of doubloons, after all!"

Although he is primarily a barman, he also offers an apothecary service. He sells:

Dayle Brandy/Rum/Ale: Ale provides a regen to your magicka bar over two minutes. (1'000 each. He's a stingy mofo)

Soothing Seaweed Mint: Cures pestilence. Description reads: Balm comprised of crushed minerals and local seaweed, sourced from the blessed waters of Sharr Lake. A remedy like this can only have been intended for domestic use. However, it also has the unexpected benefit of curing pestilence, a feared and loathed affliction common to the province of Dayle. (1'200 each. So you aren't TOO safe)

Blood of a Starved Puffin: Cures Sea Madness. Description reads: Vial containing the blood of a puffin bird, left to starve to death over a period of several days. This remedy is best known for its use in curing Sea Madness, an affliction stemming from the corrupted blood of hunters and their hounds, a frequent menace in Dayle's coastal towns. (1'200 each)

Urchin Tailfin Dust: Cures the third, yet-unseen affliction, Frigid Blood. Description reads: Pouch containing the ground remains of a sea urchin's tail fin. Although the urchin is undoubtedly poisonous, the combination of such a toxin with the curative powers of local herbs provides a wondrous, warming remedy for the onset of frigid blood, an affliction native to the Frigid Bay of Yarkaash. (2'400 each, because this one is especially annoying and rare)

Gregory has further dialogue: "Grassun Harbour... What a shithole, eh? Heck, you're the first customer I've seen in many a month. Don't be leaving me anytime soon, haha!"

"Since that blind old king in the castle destroyed the Freegalians in a haze of flame and blood, Grassun's been cursed. The spirits of the slain walk these streets day and night. Even the hunters know to keep far, far away from the main streets. That is, all of them except... him."

"Old Jacky is long-gone now, I'm afraid. He only knows the spoils of the hunt now. Him and his bloody attack dogs. They drive all my business away, bloody nuisances. Wouldn't it be a shame if someone was to finally put Jacky into a well-deserved retirement, eh? Haha!"

"Don't look at me! I haven't been a fighter in years. Too much fire in this belly, I reckon. But I'm content. Sleeping by candlelight isn't all bad."

"Buy a drink or get out. I've got a cat to feed." (LOOPS)

The items you can find on this route are: 2x Torch splint

10x Throwing Knife

3x Ethereal Brew

Hunter's Set (kinda like Bloodborne's, only with more tatters and a grey colour scheme): Hood/Garb/Gloves/Boots of the wandering hunters employed by King Podrice to seek out the Freegalian descendants plaguing Grassun Keep. Succumbing to their age, this garb nevertheless offers considerable defence and movement, two factors assuring success in one of the ghastly hunts.

Hunter's Spontoon: Spear-class weapon with a silvery-blue colour. Description reads: Pike utilized by Podrice's elite hunting squad, deployed to ransack Grassun's commoners in search of foul-blooded Freegalians. A brutal weapon to be sure, designed to hook and impale opponents from a long range, and a testament to the relentless nature of such hunters.

This route ends in an ominous archway leading to a set of long, winding stairs built into a hillside, so before you finish up this level, you'll want to take the final route. This path takes you around the right-hand side of the town, leaning against the cliff. Not much to report here, although you can find several more items here.

4x Salt Pouch

1x Bag of Salt

2x Ethereal Brew

Bloodied Set: Blood-soaked peasant garbs. Description reads: Blood-sodden tatters found on the corpses of the unfortunate victims of a mistaken hunt. From the state of these robes, it is clear they did not last long against the merciless hunting squad. It is as these barbaric hunters once proudly claimed: 'There are no innocents, only sinners and the redeemed.'

(Discovered in a wall alcove, requires 13 Cartography): Spirit Bottle Fragment: Upgrade material for spirit bottle. Description reads: Shard of glass originating from a Spirit Bottle, a recreation of Freegalian's healing flasks. Grafting this shard onto a complete bottle should allow for increased utility of the flask's awe-inspiring healing abilities.

Once you have finished up the level, you leave through the arch (which is, upon closer inspection, comprised of whale bones) and ascend the steps, arriving atop a grassy hill in the shadow of a large, looming building. Surrounding the field are several tall patches of grass that eventually lead to the edge of the cliff. As you step into the centre of the field, the screen grows dark, and a cutscene plays.

The player character turns, hearing a sharp intake of hot, raspy breath from behind him. The camera pans, revealing a tall, striking figure ascending the steps behind you. He wears the Hunter's set, similar to the one you found earlier, only this one is encrusted with a deep coat of barnacles and algae, suggesting old age. At his side, two motherfeckin' hunting dogs, which snarl and slobber at you. The hunter leers at you, sniffing the air, and baring his teeth as the cutscene fades to black, and you prepare to do battle with...

 **Jack, the Imperial Hunter**

This guy is Father Gascoigne/10, with a bit of Capra Demon thrown in there for funsies. Your first priority should be taking out his attack hounds, but be careful, as juggling Jack with his pups could lead you to a quick death, and/or the infliction of Sea Madness. Additionally, the dogs are somewhat intelligent beasts where Souls animals are concerned, and they will dive into the long grass to try and stealth attack you, and if you enter it to try and slay them there, you run the risk of plummeting off of the Cliffside.

Once his dogs are down, the main boss is less difficult, but remains a tough fight for a second encounter. Jack uses two main weapons - his primary armament is a chain whip, which he can use to inflict light damage from long distances, whilst he carries a small, curved blade with a hooked hilt in his offhand which he can use to parry and slash you at close range. He can also alternate between base form and combined form, the latter being a special attack set turning the chain into a flail-class weapon by latching the curved sword onto the tip. In this mode, he can inflict heavy bleed damage from an even-greater distance, and also has a special move where he will toss out the blade like a fishing line. If it catches you, you will be hooked, and he can reel you in for a gigantic damage grab-attack which will almost certainly kill you unless you are putting a lot of points into health and defence.

Once he is down to a third of his health, he actually becomes easier, with his chain reaching less distance and his movements slowing right down. This makes for a refreshing change, since his first phase is very, very hard for this point in the game.

Just in case you need some assistance in this fight, the option to summon an NPC called Dyson of the Royal Blood is available. He is a powerful and adept NPC, wielding a two-sided sword-axe to pound his enemies into mush. He also greets you with a special gesture, where he places both of his palms together, and nods his head. This is known as 'Royal Commendation', and unlocks for your use after.

Suffice to say, Dyson annihilates this boss, taking care of the dags for you with his longbow and using a special New Age miracle spell to cure afflictions you may contract. You might be thinking at this point that the level and boss are impossible to clear without this guy, but the boss does not really have that much health or defence, and is manageable, if a little bit too tricksy for his placement in the game.

Defeating him nets you 12'000 doubloons and the Hunter's Ink. The description for the latter reads: Ink used to graft symbols of pride and power amongst the ranks of Dayle's imperial hunters. The sight of such ink usually meant the demise of any that were deemed unworthy by the prejudice of these vile warriors.  
This tattoo is of a curved blade just like Jack's, and will grant you increased stamina regen.

Returning to Tobias, you will get new dialogue for killing Jack, as well as a new item on sale.

"You... you have done it. That foul hunter will shed blood no more... On behalf of all of Dayle, I thank you heartily, good traveller."

Jack's Blade Whip (9'500 doubloons): Flail-class weapon using the combined form of Jack's chain and sword. Retains its ability to bleed opponents, and is very effective at range, although close combat will be nigh-on useless for such a weapon. The description reads: Stylish weapon wielded by the alpha hunter, Jack, of Podrice's imperial brigade. Old Jacky is well-revered amongst the royalty for his bloody hunts, and feared by the common populace for his blind ignorance and lack of mercy. Indeed, encountering this brutal hunter was once considered a certain fatality, until the arrival of the chosen soul who may yet twist the binds of fate. (REQUIRES 27 SKILL)

Finally, the defeat of Jack will open up a spot of ground in which you may plant a flag of the Dragons' Bounty, which will act as your bonfire/lantern in this game, and will net you the item 'Rice Crackers', which you can probably guess the use of. With the level cleared, you are now free to warp back to the Bounty and spend your doubloons.


	3. New Age Church & Winding Cliff Path

Arriving back at the Dragon's Bounty, Squawkers is very eager to sample the treats you have bought him. If for any reason you should refuse to give him his treats, he will peck you, causing enormous damage at low levels that will likely kill you. However, he does not become instantly hostile, allowing you to 'correct your mistake' and give the poor parrot his crackers.

When you do, he has new 'dialogue' for you.

"Squawkers... happy... New sailor... Squawkers will give you power..."

Additionally, bringing rarer food items from across Dayle can give you the ability to get extra, free levels, so its well worth investing in that Cartography stat, as treasure hunting is the only way you will find most of these.

Once you have spent any doubloons you have, you are free to warp back to your flag at the top of Grassun Harbour, and progress onward, first checking out the ominous church-like building that was blocked off before by boss fog.

Inside is the typical layout of a church, with several rows of pews and a preacher at the end. A stain-glass window overlooking the preacher depicts the visage of Mattas, the pilgrim you saw in the opening cutscene, and talking to his white and gold-clad clergyman gives you some insight on this character. As you approach them, you see an obelisk depicting a strange diamond shape to their left, which seems to shimmer slightly in the light.

The preacher seems ambivalent about your presence: "You, stand still. I sense mischief and chaos within your bones... And yet, potential brews over the edges... You are incomplete, but with careful moulding, you could become something truly special..."

"What say you, mysterious one? Do you have a thirst for the teachings of the New Age?"

Say Yes: "Wise indeed for one so young. Join with me, and make a pact in the name of our savior, Mattas the favoured."

This is the first of the new Pact system in Dark Seas, essentially replacing covenants, but also offering some new features. Every pact in the game (only five overall) has a unique tattoo, and this one, for the Followers of the New Age, will grant you 1.5x increased magicka, which continues to scale with every Pact tier. At 2, you get 1.75x, and at 3, you get 2x.

You also get the special weapon Revelatory Staff, which is a golden rod affixed with a miniaturised version of the obelisk next to the preacher. It is primarily a catalyst for New Age Charms, but can also be used as a striking weapon, with a neat damage critical for a direct hit from the pinpoint-obelisk. (REQUIRES 28 ZEAL, 15 DEXTERITY)

It is also, strangely enough, a crucial item for this covenant, which is somewhat comparable to the Gravelords and Ratbros that has come before it. The preacher, who goes yet-unnamed, will explain the workings of the Pact to you.

"Our revered savior, Mattas, has seen the truth of the world. It is a dismal, corrupted age, filled with treachery, deceit, and sin. By the will of the New Age gods, he has commanded us, his pilgrims, to spread the seed of rebirth amongst the world, and wipe out the heretical filth. This is where you, new blood, are of use. I beseech thee, travel beyond your realm, and let bloom the doom of our cursed kin."

He does not offer any more dialogue at this time, giving you only the 'Cleansing Incense' item, which will serve as one of few invasion items in Dark Seas.

The description reads: Incense commonly used as part of rituals performed in the name of the church of the New Age. Whilst commonly burnt by heretics, true devout zealots will inhale the holy incense, allowing its trans-dimensional abilities to seep through one's veins.

Basically, this is the surprise Darkwraith covenant, as it appears all good and holy from the outside, but inside operatives will realise that the New Age is doing some truly-insidious shit. 'Raiding another realm' will transport you to any neighbouring player's world who sits at a higher level than your own. You do not have access to healing items or spells of any kind, but in case you were worried this meant a disadvantage to you, fear not. Upon entrance, you will drive your Revelatory Staff into a nearby point in the ground, unleashing a wave of pulsating misty-red in all directions, and activating the 'Sinner's Recompense' effect. Essentially, whilst this staff remains fixed to the ground, every enemy in the invadees world will be super-buffed, becoming more agile, and more dangerous, as well as more aggressive from further distances.

All that you, as the invader, need do is to defend the obelisk until the player is dead. However, if the obelisk is destroyed by the player, and you are unable to replant it at a safe distance, you will lose. If you prevail however, you are rewarded with the covenant item, 'Seed of the New Age', which has the description: Token of a victory against a sinner, taken by the maniacal zealots of the New Age Church. Once desiring of the knowledge to bring great prosperity and health to his race, the savior Mattas saw the depraved nature of his fellow humans, and in an act of worship to his vengeful gods, sought to destroy them all. With such ambition, he retreated to his shrine in the Frigid Bay, his hatred for all living things whipping up a snowstorm from which none may escape.

The worst thing is, Followers of the New Age invade indiscriminately, meaning you can invade, and be invaded by, fellow Pact-makers. This covenant is, truly, the Lawless Chaos of the game. Fortunately, there are other pacts that somewhat keep these guys in-check, who you'll meet later on

Yep, lore overload I know, but all of this is important to know going forward. He does also sell the following New Age Charms:

Restoration (same as listed in C1, 3'000 doubloons)

Embodiment of Mattas: Grants a limitless stamina bar for ten seconds, but also drains health by one quarter with every cast. (5'000 doubloons)

Curative Radiance: Heals any affliction or poison at the cost of a full Magicka bar (5'000 doubloons)

Heavenly Pierce: Sends out a javelin made of the misty-red, the damage scaling with Zeal and oddly enough, Prowess (7'000 doubloons)

Chaotic Plunder: This one is troll-bait. Essentially, it allows you to steal health from any allied phantoms on your side, at the cost of turning them immediately into an enemy phantom. It sounds incredibly dickish, and... it is. It is an embodiment of the callous, loathsome nature of Mattas' order. (15'000 doubloons)

Covenant rewards:

10 Seeds - Ring of the Devout (your HP stat will change to mirror whatever your Zeal stat is): Ring of the missionary clergy who serve under the chaotic pilgrim Mattas. The steel that forged this ring is cold, just like the frigid waters where their savior makes his home.

25 Seeds - Missionary Set: Cloak/Gauntlets/Leggings of the missionaries who travel around Dayle to spread the word of the New Age revelatory, Mattas. Although these are primarily holy men, they are well-aware of the unpopular nature of their gospel, and as such, these garbs are protected underneath by light steel plating.

50 Seeds (max): Whisper of Devastation: New Age Charm comparable to the Divine Pillars of Light from DaS3, only this spell releases pillars of misty-red, which can build-up Frigid Blood, the third, not yet encountered affliction. Frigid Blood is perhaps the most cruel of all afflictions, as it blocks out all contact to the outside world, meaning no summons, invasions or player messages/ghosts whilst afflicted. This may seem tame in comparison to the others, but later bosses are cripplingly hard without some kind of assistance.  
The description for this Charm reads: Charm utilised by the highest-ranking clergy of Mattas' devastation cult. No longer disguised by any illusion of holiness, this incantation serves one, and only one purpose: the annihilation of all living things.

By now, you probably have a good idea of why it was a mistake to come into this church unprepared. If, by some error of judgement you say no to the preacher, things get ugly quick.

Say no: "I see. You are foolish, and will perish just like the rest."

At this point, the preacher aggroes, immediately unleashing a cast of Whisper of Devastation upon you, with a Revelatory Staff in one hand, and a silvery rapier in one hand. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, he is immortal at this point, and will kill you pretty quickly. The obelisk that sat beside him also activates, unleashing a red aura that will rapidly build up Frigid Blood if you don't move out of its radius.

So yeah, stay away from the Church if you don't have a taste for doom-mongering.

Continuing on past the church, you walk through a parting in the hedges, and enter a new area.

 **\- WINDING CLIFF PATH -**

Compared to the relative hell that was Grassun Harbour, the cliff path is a much more tame affair, featuring only a few dangerous enemies, and mostly-serving as a junction point for several critical paths. As the name suggests, the plethora of paths in this area lead you alongside a towering drop down the cliffs into the ocean, so in the interest of staying alive, you might want to keep away from the edge.

At the centre of the main junction, a new NPC called Adventurer Patricia awaits. She is dressed in light, low-armoured attire, with a map outstretched between her hands.

"Ahoy there. I'm Patricia, a treasure hunter. Do your eyes sparkle with the gleam of treasure, just as mine? Then you're in luck. Just past this broken tree stump here is a great horde of treasure. And it's all yours!"

Immediately, warning bells are set off, and you may find yourself itching to strike her down. If you hold off, she has more to say.

"What are you waiting for? Down the steps, just over there! A truly astounding bounty. I hear it shimmers like the moon over the sea."

If for some reason you actually listen to this NPC and head down onto the sandy beach, you will be in for the fight of your life as what appeared to be a set of stones sunk into the sand leers up and reveals itself to actually be an enormous, grey sea serpent. This miniboss has a large pool of health, with a variety of damaging attacks which vary from slashing at you with a pair of sharpened claws to straight-up breathing a torrent of stagnant water in your face. It is also difficult to escape from the encounter once triggered, as attempting to scale back up the cliff will result in Patricia rolling a boulder down the Cliffside to crush you. If you do, however, kill the serpent, you get a fair loot.

Opal Eye: Roughly-cut gemstone recovered from the belly of a dwelling sea serpent. It's original owner remains a mystery, but the awesome power of the trinket should more than make up for its tumultuous keeper.  
If you place it in the trinket spot, you get a HUGE boost in equipment load, essentially allowing you to wear even the heaviest armour and still dodge at mid-speed.

Coming back to Patricia, she is immediately defensive.

"What? You think I knew about that beast down on the beach? How dare you! Why, I ought to cut you down for your slanderous tongue!"

"Well, forget it. Everybody runs their mouth once or twice. It's inevitable. Here, a token of my appreciation for your apology."

Ring of a Sea of Flame: Ring bearing a soothing warmth. Although bearing a grandiose name, it is a fairly-uninspired make, likely only mythical in title.  
Despite the description's claims, the ring does give you a moderate damage resistance to fire.

Patricia continues: "I'm certain there's bound to be more treasure about, so I'll keep my eyes peeled. Hehehehe." (LOOPS)

If you attack her, she goes down with very little fight, dropping only a Bag of Salt for your troubles. So, despite her treacherous nature, you're probably better off keeping her alive.

Exploration of this area nets you the following items:

3x Dead Jellyfish

2x Dayle Ale

4x Salt Pouch

Traveller's Set: Brown trench coat with grey leggings and a feathered hat. Description reads: Light armour worn by travellers to the region of Dayle. It seems strange for the well-versed men and women who wear these robes to visit Dayle, especially with their attire being so open to attack by the many different enemies that lurk in the region's shadows.

Salty Sea Bow: Longbow scented with the faint damp of the rough seas of Dayle. Due to its proximity to Grassun Keep, it is likely ths bow was used to rain down arrows on enemy ships sailing far beneath the cliff side. (REQUIRES 25 DEXTERITY)

16x Iron Arrow

4x Firefly Napalm

5x Amber Talisman: Used to prevent Spirit Bottle recovery for two minutes. (Lloyd's through and through)

Peasant Plow: Spear-class weapon very similar to the Four-Pronged Plow from DaS1. Description reads: Plow used for farming in the countryside regions of Dayle. Although better used to stack hay, this agricultural tool can nevertheless be used to pierce flesh to great effect.

As for enemies, this is what you're up against:

Cliffside Bandits: Cloak and dagger types who ambush you from the shrubbery and try to split you open with their hunting knives. They also have throwing daggers and bows for long-range combat. They have a 15% chance of dropping upgrade materials, so they are well worth farming in some capacity.

Mystic Shard: Mysterious fragment of rock that glistens a different colour depending on the time of day. Despite being somewhat fragile in its base state, such material could easily be used to create alloys for weapon enhancement, and any smith with calibre to their work should be able to complete such a process.  
To upgrade weapons, you should talk to Samuel, back on the Dragon's Bounty, but for now, you forage on.

Imperial Squires: Elite mook of the level. Think Imperial Guardsmen, only these enemies have more health, agility and wield long, silver pikes and can perform a unique death animation on you where they lift you up in the air and toss you over their shoulder. They have a rare chance to drop their weapon.

Imperial Pike: Ceremonial weapon used by squires of King Podrice, Dayle's tyrannous ruler. This weapon is forged of the purest metal alloys found in Dayle, and will not shatter even under the wailing winds of a hurricane. Perhaps this is why such warriors have claimed the title of unbreakable.

Gulls: Like the gaol bats, these bloodthirsty birds will swoop in on you at certain points when you are close to a Cliffside. However, they are essentially harmless fodder for your blade, bearing no affliction and acting as little more than a distraction against the tougher enemies.

When you have cleared the level, you have the option of three paths. One leads you around a decaying cliffside, with dead trees grown into the rock and a diseased, sickly appearance. The second continues onwards across the hill towards a large sea inlet. The last will take you down through a valley and towards a distant settlement.


	4. Overcast Forest

From this point on, all three diverging paths have roughly-similar difficulty, so you can choose your path without fear of being overwhelmed by anything. That said, there are varying threats in all directions, so you should try and stock up on a few resistance items. This is easy to do, as the previous area is very easy to farm for upwards of 5'000 doubloons a run.

The path with the dead trees and crumbling cliffs will eventually lead you to the outskirts of a shadowy stretch of wood, comprised of all dead and leafless trees. A tiny, narrow gravel path leads you inside of the creepy area, where you will find a flagpole to check your progress.

 **\- OVERCAST FOREST -**

Fittingly enough for what is clearly one of the scarier parts of the game, you are immediately greeted at the flagpole by a hooded spectre, who rises out of the ground beside you. Pausing momentarily to eye you, she then shrieks the word 'defiler!" in a raspy, resonant voice that sounds somewhat like a chorus of different voices, and charges you, taking a clean quarter of your health before you even begin, then dissipating into the air. Unfortunately, this is not the last time you will meet this phantom, as you will later see.  
This area is 10/10 2spooky. Think Mirkwood Forest from The Hobbit, sans spider webs and with much more death. For the first stretch, there is nothing but dead silence, save for the occasional snapping of a twig, or rustling of the undergrowth. You will notice that a lot of the trees in the area have strange, eerie symbols carved upon them that seem to resemble small children, as well as branches that seem to sway at you with tendril-like fingers, as though to snatch at you. Moreover, there are many, many skeletal bodies strewn about, some of which will, predictably, rise as you come near.

Unlike previous games' skeletal enemies, there is nothing goofy about the way the Restless Remains act. They carry themselves with an air of tragedy and apathy, made evident in the way their skeletal jaws hang open mournfully, and moan softly as they strike. They carry woodcutting axes and bullwhips as weapons, and strands of cloth hanging between their bones indicates that these were once peasant folk, before meeting some tragic end.

The other enemy you will encounter in this first part are the Forest Magus, humanoid caster enemies who were a brown wooden mask very similar in appearance to the Green Man legend, depicting a face made of shrubbery and leaves. They are also dressed in a coat of leaves, giving them an earthy feel. As their name suggests, these enemies wield hexes, ranging from the typical dark orb/bolt attack to a special incantation that has its roots in the forest, Song of the Dead, where the player will be assaulted by a barrage of wailing children, causing their controller layout to be temporarily inverted. This brief period of confusion and panic can very easily lead to fearful players getting struck down by offensive hexes and skeletal gangbangs.

Occasionally, the Magus' will drop their mask.  
Mask of the Overcast: Wooden mask crafted to resemble an ancient necromancer, long lost to time. This eerie headpiece bears the curse of the Overcast, the residents of the old forest residing on Dayle's northern Cliffside. It is said that the deathly screams which coincided with the abandonment of the forest still echo throughout the trees to this day.  
The mask, which definitely resembles the old Giantdad attire, actually has the effect of halving your health, and maximising your physical attack output. This will always max out at 750, meaning that even with a +10 greathammer weapon (around 600 damage for reference), you will not be game-breakingly overpowered.

Items you can discover:

3x Bag of Salt

1x Remnants of a Beachlurker

4x Forest Charm: Single-use consumable that raises the power of tidal hexes for up to two minutes. Description reads: Token carried by the magus' that make the Overcast Forest their home. The woodland is brimming with spectral energy and haunted by restless spirits from a time long passed. This makes it ideal for the honing of tidal hexes, but not for the upkeep of a sane mind.

Hexing Gown: Robe/Gloves/Leggings of the magus' that make the Overcast Forest their home. Dark energy emanates from the very trees in the ancient forest, and this gown, sewn with cloth dipped in the blood of a bloated pig, has been crafted with the explicit purpose of harnessing these dark forces.

Wovern Idol: Item with no apparent use. Description reads: Effigy of the pirate king Wovern, alpha of the wolfpack that stalks the Barren Sea. The captain of the Darktreader is near-faultless in prowess, but falls foul of his own pride, giving great consideration to any member of his crew that worships him as a deity.

Additionally, there a few items to be scavenged here with the treasure hunt ability.

(Discovered in a hollow in a tree stump, requires 16 cartography): 4x Old Wax Candle: Prism stone equivalent, although this casts a much brighter light and can actually be retrieved and carried over long distances once placed.

(Discovered on a roll of parchment discarded in the grass, requires 17 cartography): Song of the Dead tidal hex. Description reads: Fearful tidal hex imparted by a long-dead necromancer to the order of magus that reside of the fallen realm of the Overcast. Casts a vortex that envelops its prey in an isolated state of mind for a short period of time. The spirits of the forest did not take well to the arrival of the heretical mages, and many of them were possessed, which ironically only bolstered the power of their hexes. (REQUIRES 25 INNER SOUL DARKNESS, 18 RESILIENCE)  
Fortunately, the spell does not work on other players, and its sole use is for disorientating enemies. Curiously, it will not work on either the Restless Remains or the Magus'.

Finally, you reach the midpoint of the level, where a dark, babbling brook runs through the undergrowth, and a rickety old wooden bridge takes you over into the ruins of a small village, with wooden shacks overrun by ivy and mould.  
As you cross this bridge, you are visited again by the hooded phantom, who rises out of the ground, this time simply pointing an accusatory finger before slamming into you and disappearing again. However, if you carry the Wovern Idol, which you are likely to have at this point, she offers a brief bit of dialogue before she attacks.

"You cutthroat killers... Why won't you leave us be? Have we not lost enough already?"

The village features similar enemies to before, with Magus sniping you from atop balconies whilst their skeletal companions rush you from all directions. However, there is an additional enemy introduced here: the Surge of Darkness. This enemy, which appears as a shifting, pulsating collection of foggy black mist adorned with white lights visually comparable to stars, is extremely dangerous, and if it gets too close to you, it will start to build up your Sea Madness count, as well as inflicting a less prevalent form of the Song of the Dead upon you, which only inverts the thumbsticks and only whilst you are in very close proximity.

Luckily, these enemies are very infrequent, although encountering one is akin to coming face-to-face with Slenderman. They have an incredibly disturbing movement pattern, slowly shifting their own mass in your direction in a manner which reminds one of a lava lamp, whilst humming and giggling like a child. They appear from absolutely nowhere as well, the first one materialising behind one of the houses whilst you are out front fighting the skellymobs, and slowly coming from around the back to get you. They have a large-healthpool, but do not respawn once killed. Also interesting to note is that if you have, for any reason, not killed the Magus from the prior section before coming to this part, they will deal far more damage and build up Sea Madness much faster.

Regardless of which order you slay the three that will spawn in this section, once all of them are down, the last one to be defeated will drop the hex Childhood, an incantation with a frightening description.

Childhood: Tidal hex originating in the Overcast Forest that has been prohibited in all forms, even by secret practitioners of the arts, and punishable with the worst forms of execution available. This hex, which was born alongside the simultaneous death of all of the village people's children, is a pure realisation of dark, and is said to harness the lifeforce of the deceased, agonising them even in death. (REQUIRES 42 INNER SOUL DARKNESS, 25 RESILIENCE)

This spell also has a spooky effect, as your character absorbs a flood of dark energy, before letting out a sharp, child-like shriek, which drops the defence of every enemy in the vicinity to minimal level for up to a minute. It even affects online players, meaning that there is no such thing as a Havelmonster in the metagame of Dark Seas.

You will also occasionally notice the hooded phantom watching you from a distance. This happens infrequently, but she can spawn anywhere, and will disappear after about ten seconds regardless of whether she has been noticed or not. She will vanish if you try and approach her, diving into the shadows accompanied by a chorus of whispers.

Searching the second half of the level, you can find the following items:

3x Dead Jellyfish

2x Bag of Salt

Spiteful Concord: Dark purple ring embellished with a bloody red jewel. Raises your physical attack based upon your Inner Soul Darkness stat. So, for example, if you have 300 PA and a 20 in Inner Soul Darkness, you will gain a +80 boost to your attack stat. Description reads: Jewelled ring signifying the unearthly pact between the forest of northern Dayle and the Overcast, the spirits that roam its grounds. The balance of the forest was broken when the magus' took residence, but in time, a shared affinity with the dark led the two forces to a fragile harmony.

1 x Sack of Salt - Grants 25'000 doubloons.

Shadow Brand: A longsword class weapon with a unique whip-like animation with R2. The blade, which appears to be nothing but a hilt on first glance, will flourish with dark power to form a literal shadow blade when attacking, and deals pure hex damage, scaling with Inner Soul Darkness. The description reads: Blade crafted by a magus swordsmith. The blade, taken from a broken hilt and re-forged in the darkness that seeps from the very earth, is a prized weapon of the order of magus that have taken up residence in the old woodland of Dayle, and is at its most powerful when it remains close to its power source. (REQUIRES 22 SKILL, 15 INNER SOUL DARKNESS, 17 DEXTERITY)  
As the description suggests, the Shadow Brand's attack power is cut by a third when it is used outside of the Overcast Forest area, meaning it is a great weapon for cosplay and invasion only, as well as its obvious cosmetic value.

Malicious Staff: Catalyst for tidal divinations AND hexes. Tip is affixed with an effigy of an owl. Description reads: Staff hewn from the deadwood of the Overcast Forest. Steeped in dark energy, this staff is nevertheless able to channel tidal divinations, albeit with a greater emphasis on the darker elements of the energy force. (REQUIRES 36 ARCANE, scales with both Arcane and ISD)

8x Torch Splint

You can also summon a special NPC around here called Holy Woman Yancie, whose utility of New Age Charms is very effective against the enemies of this area. If you defeat the area boss with her, she will also give you her chime.

Yancie's Chime: Catalyst for New Age Charms, wielded with elegant efficiency by the clergywoman Yancie, a renegade pilgrim of Mattas' order. Yancie, upon hearing the legends of the devastation of the Overcast children, sought to purify the ancient forest, but was overwhelmed by the native magus' who have made it their home. (REQUIRES 21 ZEAL)

Speaking of area boss, it is pretty much time to face it. After battling your way through the abandoned village, you reach a sinister-looking gap in a rockface, leading you into a circular clearing whereupon a cutscene will play.

Stooped down low, in the centre of a puddle surrounded by jagged, inward-facing tree branches, is the hooded phantom. There are tears rolling down her cheeks as she slowly stands up, turning to face the player as her hands are slowly enveloped by a shadowy set of razor-sharp claws.

She speaks in a low, soft voice. "You should never have come. You should have left us well alone."

Her clawed hands slowly settle beside her body as she starts to glow with spectral energy, a cloud of black similar in appearance to one of the surges of darkness cloaking her in its protective aura as the giggling of multiple children grows more and more audible. Again, if you have the Wovern Effigy to hand, her dialogue will be slightly altered.

"You should never have returned. You should have left us well alone. The arrogance of man is his insufferable belief in his own immortality. Now, you will reap the consequences of such arrogance."

And so, the battle with **The Lingering Dark** begins.

This boss is pretty difficult until you have learnt its patterns. Attacking using her shadowy claws, the Lingering Dark's main ability is teleportation, which she can use to appear anywhere around you - including behind. Her claws will rack up bleed very quickly, as well as her aura building up Sea Madness the longer you stay within her proximity.  
She can do a spinning slash, a twirling slash, and a downwards slash, and moves somewhat like the Wet Nurse from Bloodborne. At least, for the first phase anyway, as once she hits one-third health, she will dissolve in a puddle of dark, and reform as several, smaller versions of herself, each of them singing in its own unique voice as the children of the Overcast Forest fight as one.  
They have a shared healthpool at this point, and all of them must fall for you to win. However, with about twelve of them, they all go down in about three hits.

Claiming victory is no easy feat, but the Dark is weak to New Age Charms as well as fire. Also, Yancie is very useful in this fight for the final leg, distracting the other phantoms whilst you whittle them down.

Defeating the Lingering Dark gets you 20'000 doubloons and the Forest Ink. The description reads: Ink tainted by the lingering darkness of the Overcast Forest, where atrocities led to the deaths of twelve children in an act of sacrifice. The forest is long-abandoned by the living, and now serves as home to an order of magus' from across the sea, who leech off of its stagnant dark.  
The tattoo is of an unblinking eye, and bolsters resistance to curse damage.

You are also granted access to another flagpole, as the forest finally starts to thin out, and you are lead out onto a Cliffside, with an imposing stone fortress just ahead in the distance.

Warping back to the Dragon's Bounty, you can get more dialogue from Greta for defeating The Lingering Dark.

"You... You cleansed that foul forest, didn't you? I... underestimated you."

"In times long forgotten, even before the fall of Freegalia, that forest, and all of its residents, were plundered by Captain Wovern and his crew. You see, in their service to the Abysmal Angel, they sought the blood of the pure. A sickening ritual to be sure. It was long before either of our times, and yet, I thank you, for finally putting a bookend on the whole thing."

"The Abysmal Angel, you say? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that it's a load of baloney. Wovern was mad as a maelstrom. Still is, I suppose. Listen, if you ever heed a word of advice I give you, you'll stay well away from the Barren Sea. Only death awaits you there."

Samuel the vendor also offers new wares.

Old Wax Candles (800 doubloons each)

Remnants of a Beachlurker (800 doubloons each)

Cursewarder Set: Blue leather armour with a metal headpiece shaped like a fox's head. Description reads: Helm/armour/gauntlets/boots of the Cursewarders, elite members of Podrice's court. The fox, symbolic of survival, became a treasured mascot of the group. These soldiers were once dispatched to the distant Barren Sea, tasked with the assassination of Captain Wovern and his demonic crew. However, they never returned, and only their gear remains to represent their impact upon the world. (7'500 per piece, as the name suggests, the set grants resistance to curse)

Charmer Tobias also offers a new item for sale.

Eye of the Overcast: Pure black gemstone brimming with dark energy. The existence of such a stone, born off of the slaughter of children from hundreds of years ago, would be seen as high heresy, and, as such, it is unlikely that few have ever lain eyes on its deathly sheen.  
Trinket spot: Extends duration of certain hexes, such as Song of the Dead and Childhood.

He also has a scrap of new dialogue: "Heading out to the Barrens Sea, are ye? Aye, be careful. There's a reason why nobody sane sets foot on those shores these days. The wolves are still on the hunt.

Warnings out of the way, you (foolishly) head back out to the fortress.


	5. Barren Sea Keep

**A/N: Annnnnnnnd we're back! I never expected I would come back to this story (or this site, honestly) but the other day I was looking over my old works and was inspired to continue Dark Seas, my conceptual Souls-game flick. Luckily for me, I still remember a lot of my ideas (and have come up with some new ones too!) so strap yourselves in - or don't, totally up to you. This ship is going to sail again.**

Returning to the cliff-set fortress, you walk up the narrow, crumbling pathway to a crevass in the wall of the imposing, grey-stoned structure and enter. You are greeted by a new area title, as well as an NPC leaning against the wall.

 **\- Barren Sea Keep -**

The NPC is dressed in the Cursewarder set that you can buy from Samuel with the blue leather and fox helmet, although he currently has the helmet held to his side, revealing his glorious face and mop of blonde hair. Upon seeing you approach, he looks up, and does a gesture called the 'Solemn Bow', where he crosses both arms across his chest and bows forwards.

Of course, he also has dialogue.

"Oh my. Another human being... after all this time. You have no idea how pleased I am to see you. Why, I could kiss you! Ahahaha."

As tempting as his offer sounds, you press onward.

"My name is Arell. I was part of a troupe of elite warriors called the Cursewarders, sent here by our lord the king Podrice to wipe out the filth of the Barren Sea, Wovern's wolves. But... we underestimated them. They are not flesh and blood like you or I... Not any longer. Steel parts their skin, yes, but like the shadows from which they are born, their wounds sew themselves up... Only a special weapon can permanently dispatch them. A blade forged under the light of the Glass Tower of Podrice, bearing holy light... A blade like this."

Arell gives you the Divine Longsword, a weapon similar in appearance to the Silver Knight Sword from DaS1 but with a special glow that emanates when swinging.

"Keep it, its yours. It belonged to a dear friend of mine. Use it to cast those wretched deathwalkers back to the shadows."

"Me? My fight is over. I need to rest. Perhaps we will meet again, far from this despicable place."

This dialogue loops. Next time you zone in Arell will be gone.

The Divine Longsword has the following description: "Sword forged using glass from the Tower of Podrice, a holy monument unearthed beneath Grassun Keep. This blade, which shines with the refracted light of the new moon, can slay any creature of shadow, no matter the strength of the incantation."

So yeah, this is your Stormruler, and you get to use it for a whole level. Outside of the Barren Sea Keep the sword is only average, very much like the Drake Sword in comparable damage, so it only really has a use here. Should you, for some reason, strike Arell, get ready for the fight of your life.

"Curses! No. Not you, too. So be it! I will dispatch you, creature of the night, like so many others!"

Arell is no ordinary combatant. He has around triple the health you have at this point in the game, even with maximum Resilience investment, and his attacks deal inordinate amounts of damage. He fights using a Divine Longsword and a special double-shot crossbow with an ebony, wood-like appearance. Suffice to say, he will tear inexperienced fools a new asshole. If he kills you, he will be gone when you return. If, by some miracle of skill, you defeat him, he offers the following dialogue before dropping dead.

"I'm sorry my brothers... I have failed you..."

He drops the Ring of Conviction, 5'000 doubloons and the Divine Longsword, if he did not already give it to you.

Ring of Conviction: Ring bestowed upon the Cursewarders, Podrice's elite band of warriors. The Cursewarders were split into two factions with the coming of Wovern's shadows, with one half embarking on a voyage to slay the invasive threat to their homes, and the other remaining to defend their king. The former group never returned. Grants hugely-increased stamina regeneration, as well as the rare chance to knock enemies into an executable state with a single hit." This chance to counter is roughly 1/20, so its not SUPER-overpowered, but still a pretty great ring. Still, shame on you for killing a harmless NPC.

At any rate, the room in which Arell was stood has two paths. One is currently gated off to you, so you must ascend the stairs to begin the level proper.

Imagine Sen's Fortress crossed with Chasm of the Abyss, and you got the Barren Sea Keep. Its dark, decrepit and coated with moudling seaweed and algae, wet sand strewn across the ground by hard footfalls. If you could smell the area, you would expect it to stink of stagnant water and congealed blood. The first room you reach at the top of the stairs has one enemy in it, a Rugged Hoarder. These humanoid enemies with crab pincers clutch a treasure chest to their stomachs, and when provoked, use it as a slamming weapon, which can be deceptively dangerous. They are like magpies, and only death will part them from their treasures. When killed they drop their chests, but sadly they only ever contain Dayle Rum, Brandy or Bags of Salt. There are rare varients of the enemy with black chests instead of brown ones, and they will always drop 2x Mystic Shards, so they are good to farm.

After killing the first Rugged Hoarder, the next room as two of them, as well as a new enemy, a Bloodless Wolf. Their name is misleading, as they are humanoid in nature, however they fight with the ferocity of their namesake, swinging a deadly jagged cutlass in one hand, and blasting you with a rusted flintlock pistol in the other. They appear like a generic pirate enemy, with some having wooden legs and eyepatchs. However, their torsos are entirely replaced with a shifting, starry mass of shadow, just like the Surges of Darkness from the last level. As you may have guessed, these enemies cannot be put down with a normal weapon, and require the use of the Divine Longsword. Killing them frequently nets you a Crystallised Shadow, a consumable that you can crush to temporarily (45 seconds) gain the ability to kill the enemies with a regular weapon.

The map is constructed vertically, so you have to go from Top to bottom and then to middle again to complete the level. There are numerous Rugged Hoarders and Bloodless Wolves to dispatch, and the difficulty for this point in the game is comparable to Farron Keep in DaS3. There are a few other enemies. At the top of the fort, there is no roof, allowing you to look out over the murky waters of the titular Barren Sea and the rolling hillsides of the surrounding lands of Dayle. There is a flagpole at the evry top, allowing you to check your progress, but to activate it, you must first kill a special Bloodless Wolf variant who carries an enormous hiltless axe, which he holds in both hands and uses to smash the shit out of your face. He has aroud twice the health of the normal version, and requires the Divine Longsword/Crystallised Shadow effect to kill. When he drops, he'll give you an another Wovern Idol, the effigy of the pirate captain whose keep you are currently raiding.

Descending into the basement you discover a dungeon area which is sp00py out of 10, with little to no light at all, making the use of a torch splint highly-advantageous. Lurking in the dark is a pair of Surges of Darkness, the terrifying mass of child spirits from the Forest, and they will delight in killing you over and over as you are snuck up on by them time and time again. They are only visible by their twinkling overcoat, so watch out for that and use fire as much as possible to prevail. Inside a few of the cells are giant maggot creatures called Fleshlickers, that screech an unholy amount just to give you even more jumpscares. They are fairly weak but can deal out a ton of damage as well as inflict Pestilence, so watch out. You will find a lever that opens the gate back to the beginning, as well as a cannon which pokes through the side of the fort. Firing it starts a special cutscene where you watch the cannon shot streak across the sea like a flare. In the distance, weathered, decaying pirate sails flap in the wind. A single ship drifts over the horizon, headed towards the shore at the foot of the fort.

The items you can find in this area are as follows:

\- 2 x Bags of Salt

\- 4 x Crystallised Shadows

\- 1 x Torch (full edition, rather than a splint; lasts for twenty minutes, growing dimmer with time)

\- 3 x Blood of a Starved Puffin

\- Overcast Skull: Headpiece constructed of the hollowed-out skull of a magus from the previous level. Description reads: "Skull helmet made from one of the dead magus' in the Overcast Forest. When Wovern's men raided the forest, they found more than enough blood to sacrifice to their god, the Abysmal Angel, but also something more pure: a dark, unlike anything they had ever seen. Grants a 50% increase to all forms of arcane damage: Tidal Divinations, Hexes and New Age Charms."

\- Wolf Set: Armour of the Bloodless Wolves, complete with a cloaked garb which was previously concealed by the shadows clinging to the enemies. Visually the set is a lot like Vendrick's in DaS2, except with a pirate hat and less metal. "Hat/Garb/Gloves/Boots belonging to the shadowy light armour worn by Wovern's wolves, the scourges of the Barren Sea. When Wovern became consumed by the tendrils of his beloved god, he instructed his men to reap havoc upon the surrounding lands. He knew only death would satiate the Angel."

\- Splitting Knife (Only with 24 Cartography and over): Dagger-class weapon with a long, thin shaft and a shadowy tip. Somewhat visually-comparable to an ice pick. Description: "Fearsome knife wielded by Wovern's White Wolves, his most highly-trained warriors. This weapon would shock most blacksmiths, for it draws most of its lethality from the souls of its victims, still clinging to its tip." This weapon deals fiercesome bleed, and getting backstabbed by it has a special animation where the player snakes their arm around you and slits your throat (which somehow doesn't always kill you but whatever).

From here, you can progress through the middle of the keep down into a cavern leading down to the shore. The cavern is full of giant rats (because of course this game has them, this is Souls after all) and a few Bloodless Wolves, and its pretty dark so be careful to avoid their swings and not to be greedy in inflicting damage. Finally, you emerge on the beach. A cutscene plays.

The ship you saw previously docks on the end of a short, decaying pier. Its Dark Souls II/10 as a gangplank drops, allowing you passage aboard. You can loot a couple of Remnants of a Beachlurker from malformed, squid-like creatures beached on the shore (Beachlurkers, presumably), but then its time to board the ship. Doing so begins a new cutscene, taking you out into the bay, before fading to black.

When you zone back in, you see your ship is surrounded by three others, identical in decaying, frightful appearance. They begin to open fire on your ship.

You begin your fight with the **Wolves of the Barren Sea** in a unique way, dodging cannonfire which slowly sinks your ship, until you are able to leap onto one of the passing ships. Once aboard that ship, you will fight up to five Bloodless Wolves, which will reduce the lifebar of the boss by a third. Once a second ship draws in, you repeat the process, this time fighting one of the axe-tip wielding Wolves, whose death will reduce the boss to one-third health. The final ship draws close, but instead of fighting enemies you've already seen, this time you fight several of the aforementioned White Wolves, who will utilise their Splitting Knives on you. This part of the fight is exceptionally hard if you allow the Wolves to overwhelm you, but they are pretty frail, going down in three-four hits with your Divine Longsword or Crystallised Shadow effect. As you reduce the Wolves' lifebar to zero, the screen fades to black. When you zone back in you see that the ship you fought the White Wolves on - and are currently standing on - has run aground on a shoreline. As your character staggers of the boat, you see another figure striding towards you across the sand, also having dived off of the ship. It is Wovern, and as he draws closer you see his furious expression, and his two massive machetes twirling in anticipation of ending your life. He wears a bloodied, tattered pirate uniform and hat.

Yep, its a two-phase boss fight, but there's a checkpoint in the middle just like in Bed of Chaos, so you dont need to do the pirate bit again. If you die, you will respawn on the wreck of the Darktreader on the shore, and you must then move through a fog wall to the beach again.

 **Captain Wovern** is the toughest boss you've fought yet. His machetes are wicked fast and deal a smooth chunk of damage if they hit you, and he will attempt to combo you with slashing uppercuts and a slightly-delayed twirling attack using both blades. He also has a blunderbuss which he will occassionally take out, which can catch you off guard and leave you open for an attack. He is very good at reaching behind him so don't think you can just wail on his pirate booty. At 50% health he drops both of his machetes in the sand, and goes ape-shit, pounding you with his bare fists, which now glow with a shadowy power. He is much faster now, and can pummel you to a pulp in a successful combo. He is weak to weapons with long-reach, however, and you can use this to your advantage. As he hits 30%, he gains the ability to do an explosive dark AOE attack which will almost 100% one-shot you, but it has a long wind-up, so when you see him grabbing his ears and drop to his knees, run, as he will then scream to initiate the attack. Now for an interesting twist to the fight. Throughout the game you've been able to collect Wovern Idols (you can find a maximum of 3, although the third hasn't shown up in an area yet). Having these on you changes the fight in a similar fashion to the Vendrick fight from DaS2. Depending on how many you have, Wovern will have less damage resistance, but will be more aggressive in his attacks and will shift into his second and third phases faster.

Here's the breakdown of how it works:

1 Idol: 10% less damage resistance; shifts into 2nd phase at 60% health and third at 40%

2 Idols: 20% less damage resistance; shifts into 2nd phase at 70% health and third at 50%

3 Idols: 30% less damage resistance; shifts into 2nd phase at 80% health and third at 60%

When Wovern finally falls, you will get the special message - GREAT SOUL REAVED - 50'000 doubloons and the Wolf Ink. The description of the latter reads: Ink used to mark out members of Wovern's Wolves of the Barren Sea, fiercesome pirates with ties to the founding of the fabled city of Freegalia. Wovern was driven mad by the voices in his head, compelling himto lead his men to slaughter innocents as sacrifices to his god, the mysterious Abysmal Angel. Etching it on your body grants you the ability to steal health from parried enemies, BB-style.

You can also obtain his weapons and gear from Tobias after his defeat.

Wovern's Dual Machetes: Paired greatsword weapons that can unleash a wave of dark with R2, which then launches up into a geyser with a follow-up R2. Description: "Machetes wielded by the fierce Captain Wovern, one of the founding fathers of Freegalia. Wovern was renowned for his brutal reputation even before his meeting with the Abysmal Angel shattered his mind. Yet, he was always well-known for his ego, and many of his men carried effigies of him to hold favour."

Wovern's Bloody Hat/Coat/Gloves/Boots: Attire of the infamous pirate captain Wovern. With his bloodthirsty wolves at his heels, Wovern desecrated the villages of Dayle's archipelago, seeking out sacrifices for his beloved Abysmal Angel.

Wovern's boss arena on the shore is a dead end so to progress you must now return to the Winding Cliff Path and take one of the other two routes.


	6. Smuggler's Grotto

With Wovern slaughtered, you proceed back to the Winding Cliff Path, this time choosing the sloped path down towards a small beach and inlet. The beach is eerily still as you arrive, and you can loot a few Gold Nuggets from the sand. However, there are deadly creatures lurking under the sand, just waiting to strike. These are the Beachlurkers, giant spider-squid hybrids that attack viciously with their spear-like tentacles, which can also grab you and, pull you in for a terrifying execution where the Beachlurker will bite off your head with the cavernous mouths on their undervalued. Killing them will always get you a Remnant of a Beachlurker.

From here, and after killing the three stealthy Beachlurkers, you advance into a hollow cavern, which quickly opens up into an enormous subterranean labyrinth. Reaching a flagpole at the overlook of a cliff, you are greeted with your first look at a new area.

 **\- Smuggler's Grotto -**

Think the opening view over Shulva from DaS2, and you've got the vast size of this cavern. Old rigging hangs from the algae-coated walls. Giant barnacles cling to the ground at intervals. The path forwards winds in and out of the wall, like a labyrinth, and a murky steam hangs low at the ground throughout much of the level, spewing from small craters on the walls. Wooden gangplanks lie strewn about, some leading across chasms to reach far off items and paths. The level will take you roughly 1-2 hours to comb, as there are many diverging paths.

Travelling down the initial path, you'll encounter your first enemies, the Wet Kin. These oversized limpits fight like the bloodsuckers in Bloodborne, able to leapt high into the air and come crashing down on you. They can also prise themselves up with a long, tonsil-like limb which they then use to slap you silly. They die in only a few hits dealt to this weakspot, although hitting their ashen-grey shells deals no damage whatsoever. Occasionally they will drop Bottled Residue, a consumable you can use to apply Divination damage to your weapon.

The main difficulty on this initial path is the risk of being knocked off the ledge by the force of the Wet Kin, and they can quickly overhwhelm you in numbers, so its best to proceed slowly. At the bottom of this path you discover a skeleton clutching a half-broken vial, which you can investigate to receive the following ominous message: _"Evacuate all surrounding areas. A mysterious affliction has claimed all of the men in this cave."_ As you click off the warning, the skeleton's head suddenly falls from its shoulders, and a cloud of brown mist explodes from its exposed neck, which you can now see is coated with fungus. If you stand idly by and toke in the toxic spores, you will receive this game's equivalent of curse, as your character lets out a muffled scream and fungal pods erupt from their body. This is your introduction to The Buried, a deadly condition that will (literally) plague you throughout this area.

The path now splits, with one fork disappearing down into the unknown depths of the cave, and the other down a dark passageway.

The following items have so far been lootable; make sure you grab them all before proceeding.

2 x Dead Jellyfish

3 x Dayle Rum

2 x Molotov Cocktail

3 x Firefly Napalm

Fisherman's Blunt: Mace-like weapon constructed from a metal post wrapped in a fishing net, with shards of poisonous starfish sticking out, adding a small poison damage effect. Description reads: "Brute-force weapon built by smugglers to protect their hauls from competitors. This weapon will not save you in combat with any enemy with significant prowess, but it can be used to plough through smaller foes with the ease expected of a hammer. Special charged R2 attack sends out a minor poison wave across the ground.

Seawater-Clogged Pistol: As the name implies, this gun is broken asf, meaning that trying to fire it will cause it to explode in your hand, dealing damage to yourself. However, Samuel can repair the weapon, restoring it to its former glory(?) as a Smuggler's Pistol. Description of the seawater variant reads: "Rusted old pistol damaged by a rough tide. Evidently this firearm has seen its fair share of bloodshed, so it almost seems fitting in how it turns on its owner." Restored variant reads: "Pistol used by smugglers to fend off competitors. Whilst nothing particularly special, this weapon's storied history makes it a fitting weapon for an adventurer."

The left fork ends in a sudden drop into a cavern filled with fungal pods. As you will no doubt be readying an "OH SHITTTTTT!", you realise that moving slowly does not set off the pods. Doing so will, unfortunately, kill you in a matter of seconds, so clearly caution is the name of the game. Sadly for you, there are a few Wet Kin in the room, so you'd better get ready to tank their hits. If necessary, you can break the fungal pods, but doing so will result in them spraying a large AOE over the ground, so be aware of that. You can loot a Smuggler's Hat from this cavern, which has a novelty stuffed parrot on its brim. The description reads: "Treasured hat worn by a smuggler. No doubt his enemies feared him, not only for his steel but for the fiercesome avian that he kept stashed in his hat." The hat has no special properties, but it looks goofy as all shit.

Eventually you find a hole in the cave wall, leading you out of the Danger Zone(TM) out onto a gentle sloping plateau. There are a few Afflicted Smugglers out here, which are new enemies that resemble standard pirates with pistols and swords/axes, except their whole heads are taken over by fungal pods, Last of Us-style. They mostly use their weapons to attack you - albeit with terrible aim due to their lack of a face - although they have a special attack where they rip a small fungal blob off their own head and throw it at you like a smoke grenade. When they die, they fall to their knees, their heads exploding into a toxic gas.

After fighting through several waves of Afflicted Smugglers, you can find a small lagoon filled with a group of Undead Sea Lions which look and act as silly as they sound. They are all missing one eye, and attack by sliding on their bellies at you, spinning around to bat you with their tails, and biting you. They are hilariously-outmatched on their own, but as a group are deceptively lethal. Once you down them you can loot an Adventurer's Rapiers from the lagoon, a set of paired rapiers with extra-long blades which can perform a special flurrying-slash attack. Their description reads: "Set of finely-crafted rapiers wielded by the nefarious pirate-slayer Duke Henry of Azwell. Henry carved up the smugglers that left his fellow nobles quivering in terror, earning him a bloody and proud name."

Unfortunately, looting his weapons seems to have made him angry, for you will then be 'BOARDED' by a vengeful spirit of the Duke, in the first of this game's NPC-invasions. Henry is, as you may have inferred from his weapons' description, a bloodthirsty and confident fighter, and he will clean you up unless you take your time and watch carefully for openings. When he hits half health, he will have his helmet knocked off by a hit, revealing he has been infected by the fungus, which now has a slow build-up when in range of Henry. If/when you slay him, he'll drop his armour set and 14'000 doubloons. His set is pretty neat, being an aristocratic cloak attached to a set of carved silver metal armour with special gold gauntlets. The helmet is especially cool, with a silver head and golden wings on the side.  
Their description reads: "Helmet/Armour/Gauntlets/Trousers of the famous pirate-slayer Duke Henry of Azwell. As a child, Henry watched his parents murdered by Freegalian raiders, and swore upon that day to take a bloody vengeance upon all of pirate kind. With a set of noble armour crafted by Azwell's finest smith, at the age of twenty he set out on a proud adventure, cut short when he ventured into the pestilence-rotted caverns near Grassun Harbour."

In a small side tunnel, you can find a NPC called Brett Shiver-Heart, a Tidal Mage. He is cowering behind a rock as a group of Afflicted Smugglers surround him. Killing them will grant you dialogue with him, although he doesn't seem too grateful for your assistance.

"Oh... Show me up, will you? I had everything under control, you scallywag. I was moment sway from unleashing a devastating divination! Ah... Confound it all, where is my staff?"

"Well, I suppose you did help me. So, here, take this."

He gives you a single Salt Pouch. What a guy.

"What? Are you expecting more from me? Good gracious, what a fiend you are. Fine. I will grant you the most powerful gift of all... knowledge! Let me share with you my findings on Tidal Divinations."

When he says 'share', he actually means 'sell', and he's a stingy one, so prepare yourself to spend all your shit.

He sells the following Tidal Divinations:

 **Ripple:** Weaker version of whirlpool previously available as a Foreigner starter class. (5'000 doubloons)

 **Whirlpool:** Sends out a projectile vortex which will damage an enemy more the longer it remains in contact with them. (8'000 doubloons)

 **Steam Geyser:** Summons a geyser made of hot water in the direction of casting. (10'000 doubloons)

 **Song of the Sea:** Releases a short-range wave of energy that travels through the air in a pirouetting manner. (10'000 doubloons)

 **Enhanced Blade** : Casts an arcane effect on your weapon, lasting sixty seconds. (12'000 doubloons)

 **Enhanced Firearm:** Casts an arcane effect on your bullets, granting a wider impact. (6'000 doubloons)

 **Inner Ocean:** Powers up defence and movement speed (requiring less stamina for every move) for thirty seconds. (18'000 doubloons)

He also sells a Rickety Sea Staff, a wooden catalyst affixed with a large hermit crab shell at the tip which lights up blue when casting a spell, for 3'000 doubloons.

He has a bit more dialogue, if you even want to talk to this dude anymore: "Are you a marauder? A mercenary? A misguided imperial apologist? Hah, what does it matter? You're all the same. Cutthroat killers, with no regard for those around you. Why, if it wasn't for your kind, we would have peace throughout Dayle."

"Me? I am an apprentice of the great arch-mage, Mercutio. He hand-picked me from my class, tasking me with the destruction of all of the heretic Mattas' filthy New Age zealots. That despicable man has surrounded himself with an impenetrable glacier, a few miles deep into the mountainside. Coward. And so the bloodletting continues."

If you are in the Followers of the New Age covenant, he will have differing dialogue: "You're one of them, aren't you? The new age zealots. Your filth will be exterminated from this earth, from one corner to the other. (Flat-earther alert!)"

He will just repeat this dialogue after, and despite swearing to kill your kind, will make no attempt to fight you unless you attack first, in which case he will cower on the ground in a unique animation, screaming for mercy. Killing him will net you 300 (!) doubloons, showing that even in death, Brett is one tight asshole. After the exchange here, he will move to the docks in Grassun Harbour, becoming a stationary Divinations merchant for the rest of the game.

The left fork has pretty much reached a dead end, so you must now proceed back to take the right fork. You will have to fight several more clusters of Wet Kin and Afflicted Smugglers, as well as a colony of bats, which carry the Pestilence affliction. In a small alcove you can find 6 x Ginger-Infused Pouches, whih can counterract the effects of the fungal affliction (ginger was good for fungus, who knew?).

This path leads deeper into the cave, eventually ending up in a smuggler's den filled with loot. You can find:

10 x Gold Nugget

7 x Bags of Salt

2 x Ethereal Brew

6 x Shrunken Heads, a gruesome consumable which you can use to temporarily generate an orbiting mystical pulse which, if timed correctly, can block hits. Their description reads: "Shrunken head of a long-deceased member of the Tikyulha Clan of Alscratio Island. The clan members volunteer to have their bodies experimented on and divvied up for the good of their fellow people. These heads are said to be passed down through generations, with the intention of providing protection for descendants."

Imperial Flail - Flail-class weapon comprised of a small pole attached with a chain to a heavy metal ball. Description: "Flail used by Imperial Slayers, the king Podrice's most brutal division of warriors. This weapon does not simply break spirit, but bones. It is said that every man gifted with this weapon must use to flay their own lover to death as a sign of loyalty."

Once you've claimed all of this booty, you can proceed to the last section of the area. Its a long, narrow chamber which you must cross over using narrow wooden bridges, or else risk falling into an abyss filled to the brim with fungal pods. You'll have to kill a load of Wet Kin and Afflicted Smugglers to proceed, and just in case you thought things were too cosy, there are drooping fungal pods that will spray you from the ceiling if you stray underneath them. Being exposed that quickly will almost certainly lead to death. You can grab a Bloodied Rope Hook, another flail-weapon, from a corpse near the end of the room. More brute force than finesse, this flail can inflict heavy bleed, as you might expect from a giant fishing hook. Description: "Improvised flail weapon used by smugglers to fend off their competitors. Whilst this weapon was not lovingly-crafted, it retains a brutal efficiency that is admirable, if terrifying."

With the area complete, you step towards the gap in the cave wall, ready to escape this hellish nightm- FUCKING CUTSCENE!

That's right, its boss time, and though you didn't realise it, you've already passed them. As your character turns to look for the source of a crumbling, squelching sound, you see a malformed, fungus-infected hand rise from the abyss at the opposite end of the room, followed by another. As you watch, a dreadful fungus creature comrpised of the limbs and heads of several dead men rises from the deep, unleashing a grotesque belly roar, and half-running half-rolling across the bridges towards you.

Its time to fight the **Afflicted Mass.**

Just battling this thing will make you feel unclean. It has three massive fleshy arms protruding from its front and a giant inflated head with a bulging green lump coming out of its back. The front three limbs strike at you in a similar way to Ludwig in Bloodborne's first phase, whilst the rear head spews the infectious spores at you if you try and circle behind it. Striking its limbs enough times will sever them, but this isn't as advantageous as it may initially appear, as the boss can regrow its limbs after a period of 1-2 minutes. However, if you use a flame weapon or a Firefly Napalm item, you can cauterize the severed limbs, preventing their regrowth and making the fight a lot easier, although using fire weapons will make the boss start to release the spores in a small radius around its body.

At half health, the creature will become frenzied, attacking much more quickly and ripping off its own limbs to beat you with. Cauterizing the limbs still works here, however you'll have less of an opening. The beast can also release a huge cloud of spores from its body at mid-range, and will dive in and out of the fungus on the cavern floor to stealth slam you.

You can summon an NPC called Smuggler Piocco outside the boss fog on subsequent attempts. He wears the generic pirate set with a bandana, and uses the Dayle Harpoon as his weapon. He will give you a free Ginger-Infused Pouch every time you summon him, doing a cute little gesture at you with his hooked hand to signify his comradeship.

When the Afflicted Mass finally perishes, you will be rewarded with 21'000 doubloons, the Afflicted Ink, and a special item called the Impervium Cap. Appearing like a beekeeper's/fencer's mask, the cap has a wire meshing, and hugely-decreases the rate at which the poisonous spores can affect you. This item will be mostly-useful in PvP, as the Afflicted Ink grants you access to the Cloud of Extermination, a Tidal Hex which allows its caster to expel a huge cloud of the deadly spores from their own body, at the cost of a small chunk of their HP (Requires 30 Inner Soul Darkness). You will also be able to purchase the Reaper's Finger, a gruesome-looking dagger which can afflict poison with several strikes (or a single backstab), from Charmer Tobias. He also has new, charming dialogue on offer.

"You... survived that unsightly grotto? Well, aren't you something special? The men that once used those caverns for illicit purposes all perished, or so they say, when they unearthed an ancient curse. Mattas would have approved - if only he hadn't succumbed to his blinding insanity! *dodgy NPC laugh*"

The Afflicted Ink can be etched upon your body to grant 100 resistance to all afflictions in the game, as well as poison, bleed and curse.

You can now proceed onwards through the caverns, eventually stepping through an ice-coated crevasse in the wall and into a new area.


	7. Frigid Channel

With the disgusting Grotto behind you, you can take your first, chilly steps into the **Frigid Channel** , the next area. The floor and walls are coated with ice that grows thicker and more widespread the further down you travel, giving the impression of descending into a cold, dark hell. You will find a flagpole a few metres down the passage, allowing you to check your progress/spend doubloons from the last boss fight.

You'll want a torch travelling into the Frigid Channel, as it is an incredibly-dark area. You will also find that your character moves realistically on the ice, skidding slightly further than you intend with each movement (or just like DaS2 in general huehue). At first the only enemies you'll encounter are normal cave bats, but don't let this lull lure you into a sense of security, because this area has some hellishly-difficult sections.

As you descend further, the cavern walls open up, and you will arrive in a large, round room, with a jagged staircase made of solid ice at the centre leading up to the higher levels. There are several new enemies in this room. The first is a stationary Revelatory Staff, which you may recognise as being a covenant item from the Followers of the New Age Pact. Their job is to try and pull a 'boarder' from another world, either an online one (a la bell maidens in Bloodborne) or, if none are available, a generic NPC with randomized gear. You'll have to kill every enemy in the room before tackling these, as they are protecting by an energy shield comprised of lifeforce leeched off of the other enemies.  
There are several mace-wielding Clergy to fight, who also carry talismans for casting various New Age Charms, such as the Heavenly Pierce and Whisper of Devastation, which to recall, fire off javelins from at you and from underneath your feet. They are resilient foes, but will go down in less than ten hits most times. There are also the Forsaken Congregation, naked NPC enemies that appear to have no bones, allowing them to stretch their arms out way longer than would be possible, as well as a long, mournful face akin to the Munich Scream painting, which can spew a damaging misty red haze at you.  
Destroying the Revelatory Staff will grant you a Seed of the New Age, a covenant item. Should you be forced to kill an enemy phantom, you'll also receive an Empty Vessel, a murky glass stone which you can sell for a high price in shops.

You can loot the following items from this room:

\- Mattas' Tweezers: An item with sinister connotations, which you can use infinitely to exchange a sliver of your health for an AOE-blast attack utilising Mattas' signature red mist of devastation. Description reads: Pair of ornate tweezers faintly coated with rusted blood. This is no mere tool, but a personal torture device, which will contentedly drink your life force in exchange for the favour of the zealot pilgrim, Mattas.

\- 6 x Molotov Cocktail

\- **Adornment** New Age Charm: Casting it sears your character's back with a luminous symbol depicting the Followers of the New Age, granting your strikes an added red mist for up to sixty seconds. (Requires 36 Zeal)

\- Pilgrim Twinblades: Paired scimitars with a unique diving slash which aims to cripple an opponents legs, knocking them over if used successfully. Description: "Twinblades wielded by members of the Followers of the New Age. Originally utilised for ritual executions, these blades now hold a fond home in the armoury of the zealous pilgrims of Mattas, and their steel bears his deadly kiss." REQUIRES: 31 DEXTERITY

\- 2 x Blood of a Starved Puffin

\- 3 x Large Mystic Shard: Advanced upgrade material.

Carrying on into the passage, you will travel up the frozen stairwell, allowing you to see that the exit from the caverns lies way above the plateau you are currently standing on. You will have to progress into a new tunnel, where you'll encounter more Forsaken Clergy and their Congregation, as well as the threat of new variants on the bat enemies, which have frozen wings which will shred you for bleed damage should they come close enough. You can loot the Yearning Crystal from an alcove in the wall. This trinket item heavily powers up New Age Charms, at the cost of a third of your current stamina bar. The description reads: "Turquoise crystal formed in a frigid forge somewhere in the Frigid Passage. This jewel, colder than the touch of a corpse, should not be worn by the sane, unless they have a longing for death."

The tunnel will lead you to another circular room, this time slightly smaller, which has a load of Clergy and Congregation, and not one but TWO Revelatory Staffs jutting out of the ground. However, these two do not summon invaders, but instead power up enemies in the room, granting them higher health and damage outputs. However, you must kill these enemies before taking on the staffs, which then will both drop a Seed of the New Age.

A rickety wooden staircase frozen over with the artificial ice will lead you up yet another level, at which point the path diverges. There is a steep gravelly passage which seems to lead to the surface, with a few shafts of light peeping down through, or a door locked by a mysterious contraption, which you will be able to open in a bit. So, taking the 3x Blood of a Starved Puffin from a corpse on the wall, you press on up to the surface.

You emerge at the edge of an enormous frozen lake amidst the mountains above the channel, spanning several hundreds of metres long. In the distance you can see a turret shrouded by heavy snowfall, as well as the rim of the lake, where a white mist grows so deep you cannot see further. There are new enemies lurking under the ice here, so be aware of the Floating Corpses. True to their ominous names, these enemies lurk under the ice, visible through translucent passages, and will bob around after you, stabbing their blades up through the ice to attack you if you stay still too long. You can't kill them, however, and their purpose is simply to distract you from destroying the Revelatory Staffs littered around on the ice, as well as several Forsaken Clergy roaming about like nomads. You can loot the following from the icy lake:

\- Frozen Tear: A trinket with a white, cloudy appearance, which bolsters your resistance to Frigid Blood. Description: A small white gemstone that is freezing to the touch. It is said that when Mattas crossed the lake of revelations, his sorrow froze the waters over, and a single tear, shed from his one eye, became a stone bearing his unthinkable grief. But legends are legends, and as all those who know him would tell you, Mattas bears a fiery hatred for every living thing.

\- Ice Hammer: A great-hammer with a large, curved pick head. Charging R2 unleashes a spinning swipe that can be concluded with a brutal downards smashing attack. Description: Cumbersome hammer used by pilgrims to the revelatory mountain range in Dayle's northern borders. This hammer is effective at breaking ice, but is better utilised to break bones, for no man can withstand a strike from its blunt. REQUIRES: 40 PROWESS

\- **Cold Heart** Tidal Hex: Grants unlimited stamina for thirty seconds at the cost of 1% health every second (so basically, 30% health per cast by the end) Requires 34 Inner Soul Darkness, 26 Zeal

\- Spirit Bottle Fragment: Upgrade material for Spirit Bottle

\- (With 36 Cartography): Ice-Rotted Genoa: A gross-ass cake you can bring to Squawkers the parrot to get two free levels.

\- Crescent Moon Orb: Key item which you can take back to the locked door to open up. Description reads: "Complex clockwork mechanism used to lock a door. The orb feels somehow sorrowful, as though it were crafted out of grief. Even holding onto it for too long evokes a strong depression, which makes it an unwise treasure to keep for long."

Since you now have this key item, you may as well go back and open the door. Inside is a stone pedestal with a single item on it, the Bloodied Patchwork, a key item with no immediately-obvious effect. Description: A patch of cloth that seems to have been soaked in blood. Who it belonged to is a mystery, but it carries a pungent scent of death. Nothing good can come of such inquisitiveness.

Obviously the turret caught your attention from the opening shot of the lake, so once you make your way over there, you'll enter a small circular room with a staircase leading up into the unknown. Your favourite NPC, Patricia, is waiting for you by the steps.

"Ahoy! Why, it's my ol' treasure hunting buddy, back for more! Well, you're in luck! At the top of this tower is Mattas' treasure room, filled to the brim with glorious trinkets and more gold than you can shake a barnacle at! What are you waiting for?"

Obvious trap is obvious, but as an inqusitive player you head up the steps nonetheless to find a nearly-empty room, occupied by a single treasure box and a hunched over enemy. As you approach the chest, the enemy, who wears a raggedy white and gold robe, the distinctive missionary set worn by the most devout preachers of Mattas, will rear up, their cloak flapping behind them as they draw out their Pilgrim's Twinblades and charge you. This enemy is essentially an NPC, and so won't go down easily, especially since they can cast a spell to block your healing. However, killing them nets you a Sack of Salt, the large soul equivalent that gives you 25K doubloons. The chest contains the Iridescent Helmet/Overcoat/Gloves/Wrappings set, which resembles a gold and white version of the Michelin mascot, with layered, cotton armour that provides little defence to physical attacks, but a huge defence to all forms of elemental and magic damage. The helmet resembles an owl, with a bushy gold monobrow engraving. When you take the set however, the ground will erupt with pillars of damaging red mist, similar to the Whisper of Devestation spell.  
Description for the set reads: "Surprisingly-comfortable clothing crafted out of fine materials, woven with incantations intended to provide a divine protection. Mattas had this garb made to provide immense protection for his most treasured follower, but circumstance meant it was never worn. Perhaps this set goes some way to explain away the sadness of the lonely old preacher."

Patricia will be pleased to see you have survived your ordeal.

"My, my. What a bountiful treasure indeed. Are you not indebted to me? Perhaps you might be so kind as to share your treasure with me? For my most helpful tip?"

Yes (forfeit half of your current doubloon count): Splendid. You are kind and brave. We shoud be partners in treasure-hunting! Yes! Let us shake and make it so. Until the next time, partner! Heehee."  
No: What a wretched scoundrel. Are you angry that I didn't tell you about the bewitched chest? How was I to know? I hope the next treasure you find gets your throat slit, so no more ungrateful words leave your foul mouth.

If you answer no, you can make amends by talking to her again at any point and choosing the prompt to 'Apologize', which then takes half your doubloons and gives new dialogue: "I knew you would come to your senses. We are all strangers in this land, unwelcome reminders of Podrice's bloodshedding and sin. Co-operation is the only way we will keep our heads above water."

She offers a bit of DEEPEST LORE as well: "The Frigid Bay is just beyond those shrouded borders. What a desolate place to make one's home. But you know what they say about Mattas, dont'cha. He went mad after a great loss, taking it upon himself to order the complete destruction of all mankind. These icy waters are said to have absorbed the weight of his sorrow. But a story is a story. There is no truth here but what we make of it ourselves."

The area is at an end, and all thats left to do is approach the mists at the edge of the lake, which will slowly part like the Red Sea as you pass through them. After some walking - and some deeply unsettling ice-cracking sounds - you'll chance upon a small shrine built onto a snowy bank, with a quartet of the diamond-shaped obelisks as seen in the New Age Church surrounding a large, armoured figure. Approach, and a cutscene begins.

The large armoured figure, who is seated in a praying pose, slowly rises, their head turning a full 180 degrees to the left to look at you as you approach, and then another 180 back to the front as they turn around. Their armour, once a glorious gold with white tassels and a cloak bearing the sigil of the New Age, is rusted over, faintly garnished with icicles and old, blackish blood splatters. Slowly, the giant reaches for their weapon, a monumental mace, that is buried in the snow beside them, as their left hand glows misty red with the power of the New Age.

 **Pilgrim Mattas** , the second of the great four boss fights, is pretty difficult. As will become increasingly obvious throughout the duration of the fight and by close examination, Mattas' actual body has rotted away to almost nothing, leaving a disembodied suit to fight you. As the suit is not alive it has little limitations to the way it can move, essentially ignoring stamina restrictions and rarely ceasing attacks, which initially take the form of swings that come in patterns of 1-3 strikes, and a special attack where Mattas will strike the ice with the point of his mace and unleash a volley of red mist geysers in a circle spreading out around him. There are advantages to this state of being that you can observe in the fight. As a mindless suit of armour, Mattas has little to no senses, meaning that only by proximity can the boss locate you unless you are being very noisy.

When his health bar hits half, Mattas will fall flat on his empty face, the ice cracking under the weight of his armour. You can no longer damage him. Suddenly, disembodied, almost-ethereal voices, as though out of a memory, will be heard.

"Why do you insist on wearing those filthy rags? I would make you a nobleman. A proud lord of the New Age!"

"I only wish to serve you, Mattas. Not my pride."

"My enemies are many. They will seek to harm you."

"Let them try."

The mysterious conversation ends abruptly with a gut-wrenching scream, apparently from Mattas. At this, the armour will rise again, red mist flowing through every gap in the metal as Mattas prises his mace from the ice and slides the contraption apart to transform it into its lance-state, the metal folding back to reveal a sharp spear-end.

The second phase sees Mattas' aggression multiply exponentially. His attacks can hit you from a much-longer distance with the lance-state, and the point will emanate a small red misted spike, so that the range is even more unpredictable. He will also now cast jet-streamed plumes of the mist (a la DaS1 Fire Surge) as well as a grab attack in which he squeezes your character so hard with his misted gauntlet that their head explodes, killing you instantly. Luckily he telegraphs this move pretty clearly, so dodging back is never too difficult.

The fight also has an interesting environemntal effect. With Mattas in a heightened state of rage, the ice around him will start to melt, changing the arena into a pool of water which is much easier to traverse, with the added caveat that his New Age Charms are enhanced by being cast in water.

When the armour falls for a second time, it will crash through the thinning ice and sink beneath the waters, ending the fight. However, no victory screen is offered. Instead, the voice of Mattas comes back, this time clearly addressing you.

"Blasphemer... Defiled wretch... You would take him from me... I will wait for you at the church on the cliffside..."

So, in order to complete this fight once and for all, you must return to the New Age Church on the Winding Cliff Path. The clergyman who offered you the chance to join the Followers of the New Age pact earlier will now reveal his true identity.

"Freegalian descendant, you have slain my body. Congratulations. But so long as my mind lives on within my beloved, I shall never die. I am Mattas, the pilgrim who salted the very earth with devestation. How do you expect to defeat me?"

The way this plays out can vary in two ways. The first is a standard NPC fight with one of the heardest enemies in the game. He won't have a boss bar, but you must reduce his health to zero in order to win, and he has a variety of New Age Charms as well as a silvery rapier which inflicts poison damage. However, if you obtained the Bloodied Pstchwork earlier, then you have the option to present it to Mattas.

"What... No, how... Oh, sweet Benedict... I won't fight for you any longer... It is time we both had peace..."

Moved by the appearance of the item, with which he clearly has a storied history, Mattas will stab himself with his rapier, killing himself immediately.

Either way, when Mattas falls, you are finally given the **GREAT SOUL REAVED** message, alongside the New Age Ink and 50'000 doubloons.

The ink, which you can etch on your body to provide both a 30% increase to New Age Charms as well as an increased 20% damage resistance to them, has the following description: "Ink drawn from the blood of a fallen cleric, Benedict of the New Age Pilgrims. Benedict was the most devout follower of Mattas, and it is said the two men shared a love which only cold steel could rend apart. But is death truly the end? Storytellers speak of the piglrim's efforts to save his beloved, spiltting his mind and body to be with them forever more."

Charmer Tobias also offers you two weapons made from Mattas' soul.

First is the Mattas Greatmace, the transforming mace/lance weapon from the initial boss fight (35'000 doubloons): Greatmace of the wandering pilgrim Mattas, who seeded the land with death and devestation. Mattas, who once sought to heal the world with the healing properties of the Freegalian waters, was sent into a spiralling rage, which eventually softened into a cold grief, when the world responded to his kindnesses with fire and fury. REQUIRES: 34 PROWESS, 20 ZEAL.

Second is Benedict's Rapier, the rapier wielded by Mattas' human body, which can inflict poison (20'000 doubloons): Mercury-hewn rapier which was the favoured weapon of the fallen cleric, Benedict. When Benedict learnt of an imperial plot to assassinate his beloved Mattas, Benedict sacrificed himself to save him, leaving only a bloodstained robe behind. REQUIRES: 31 DEXTERITY, 15 ZEAL

With two founders of Freegalia dead and their souls reclaimed, you are well on your way to completing your quest to revive the fabled city. Greta will offer some interesting dialogue: "Ahh, I smell a fresh scent upon you... One our kind has not smelt in some time... Hope, for the future... For Freegalia... Won't you reunite our lost souls with the waters?"

You can also get new dialogue from Squawkers if you bring them that yucky cake from earlier.

"Squawk! Yummy, yummy! Squawkers have, squawkers love!"

Yeah... He's not the most erudite fellow.

Two of the three forked paths at the Winding Cliff Path are now completed, leading only the third.


	8. Winding Cliff Fjord & Slumbering Mornan

The final path from the Winding Cliff crossroads dips through a valley, and you will face several more of the Cliffside Bandits here, as well as Imperial Squires with pikes and a single, UGS-variant, who wields an enormous hunk of a sword called the Goliath, which performs overhead slams akin to a greathammer, with the strong R2 attack plunging the blade into the earth to volley a devestating shockwave. Killing this Imperial enemy will net you the sword as a guaranteed drop.

Goliath: "Ultra-greatsword wielded by the Bruiser, a knight serving in Podrice's company. The Bruiser is unusually violent and dishonest in his battles, making him an unfavourable companion for any warrior with delusions of chivalrous heart. His sword, the only one of its kind, was created from the remains of a destroyer ship's mast." (REQUIRES: 45 PROWESS)

Once you reach the lowest point of the valley, you'll have to wade through a small quagmire. Luckily the skanky, stagnant waters don't inflict anything on you other than crippling slowness, but there are several dog enemies in the water which will take advantage of your low mobility to f you up. So don't let them. You can loot the following items in this section:

\- Forsaken Set: Resembles a primitive diving suit that has been worn away by water, and is now covered in dripping algae that squelches when you move. Description: "Domed helmet/Hollow Suit/Weathered Gloves/Crusted Trousers worn by divers in the employ of Podrice. Many of these diving suits were commissioned when word of the treasured seas around Alscratio Isle reached the ears of the gluttonous king, but few were ever used. Their steel composition makes them resistant to many forms of attack, although they are cripplingly heavy, and were not intended to be used in agile combat."

\- 3x Molotov Cocktail

\- 2x Torch Splint

\- 4x Bag of Salt

As you wade across to the other side of the mud, you will find an NPC dressed in the diving gear you just picked up. Talking to them offers some intriguing dialogue.

"*cough* Oh, another wandering Freegalian heir, eh? Relax. I intend no harm towards you. Not unless you would raise your weapon. I am Lana, captain of the Grassun diving company. Well, at least I was. Who am I to be captain of now? My men are all dead, slaughtered by that monster on Alscratio - the blood-possessed beast. Oh, in the dark are we? Better for you. If you know, you know. But you don't want to know."

Pressing her for more dialogue seems sufficient to insist that you do, in fact, want to know. "Well, you are a strange one. Or maybe just mad. Either way, that island is a respite for dead men only. They call it the Isle of the Dead for a reason, you know. They say that a great behemoth rose from the waters, and swallowed every man on the island, including those wretched, greedy brothers."

"Hyraat and Boliver were once good men, so far as I can tell. But a wealth unlike any other corrupted them, hollowing their souls and feasting on their minds. There is naught but bones left, I'd imagine. But perhaps you might find a scrap of their soul somewhere in that godforsaken mess."

"You've been a good listener. I appreciate that. Nobody listens to old Lana these days. I have an idea. Would you like to enlist in my company, and seek treasures for our lord, the king Podrice?"

Say Yes: "Magnificent. Normally I would preside over your trial, but you have proven yourself capable enough simply by surviving this far. So, I henceforth pronounce you a Diver of Dayle."

Welcome to the second of four Pacts in Dark Seas. The Divers are a unique, PvE covenant which allows you to be summoned to a special, one-off and randomly-generated location called a 'Treasured Seabed', a small underwater locale (you can breathe, somehow) where you will fight a collection of randomly selected enemies from anywhere in the game in order to open chests containing rare (and not so rare) loot. You will get summoned by wearing the Luminous Orb, a trinket item with a mystical green tint and silver casing which provides an additional +100 to item discovery, and will be summoned at random intervals ranging from half an hour to two hours to one of these 'Treasured Seabeds.'

The loot you will find in the chests in these locations varies, and is determined by the strength of the enemies you killed, your overall level, and the level of your Cartography stat. Here is the full list of items you can discover, as well as their rarity.

\- Bag of Salt (Extremely Common, get ready to find a fuckton of these before you get anything good)

\- Firefly Napalm/Remnants of a Beachlurker/Dead Jellyfish (Extremely Common)

\- Gold Nugget (Common)

\- Spirit Bottle Essence (Common): The covenant-strengthening item of the Divers of Dayle. Description: "Shard of a spirit bottle which once contained the healing waters of Freegalia. Podrice, whose lust for destruction destroyed almost all of these rare flasks, will pay handsomely for even a trace of one, as part of his quest for his own immortality."

\- Mystic Shard (Common)

\- Large Mystic Shard (Uncommon)

\- Sunken Dagger (Uncommon): Rusted dagger with a cool, algae-covered appearance. However, it is only as good as the standard dagger, so fashion souls-fodder only. Description: "A dagger that was uncovered from the seabed. Although rusted and in poor repair, anything is better than nothing in a land so unforgiving as Dayle."

\- Silver Diving Set (Seperate pieces, all uncommon): Shiny silver version of the Forsaken Set, sans squelchy algae, with an identical description. Again, only really for fashion souls.

\- Sunken Harpoon (Uncommon): Spear-class weapon with a smashing R2 attack. "A harpoon that was uncovered from the seabed. Although rusted and in poor repair, anything is better than nothing in a land so unforgiving as Dayle."

\- Sunken Blade (Uncommon): Straight sword with algae-covered appearance. "A blade that that was uncovered from the seabed. Although rusted and in poor repair, anything is better than nothing in a land so unforgiving as Dayle."

\- Ring of the Maelstrom (Rare): Dark green coloured ring in a gold casing. Boosts counter damage. Description: "A ring uncovered from the seabed. Although its original owner is unknown, its appearance and inherent mystical abilities invite comparison with the forbidden rituals of old Freegalia."

\- Sunken Set (Seperate pieces, all rare): Rusted and worn metal-plated armour with a fluted helmet (a la Demon Souls). Description: "Helmet/Armour/Gauntlets/Leggings that was retrieved from the seabed. Although its condition has deeply deteriorated over the course of many years churned in the tide, it still offers adequate protection at a bearable weight."

\- Mystic Chunk (Penultimate upgrade material, rare)

\- Sack of Salt (25k variant, rare)

\- The Unfathomable (ultra rare, 1/100 chance): Long and ultra-thin katana with a rubber hilt. Glows a dark brown when striking human enemies. "An accursed weapon salvaged from the unthinkable depths of the treasured seas. Its owner was clearly a troubled soul, seeing how their former blade cuts so effortlessly through human flesh as though to satiate itself." (REQUIRES 35 DEXTERITY)

\- Golden Clawhammers (ultra rare): Paired hammer-class weapons that resemble the claw keys from Skyrim, fused to the end of a metal and leather-bound hilt. When held in each hand, can perform jumping slashes and a special move that pulls nearby enemies in. Builds up bleed damage steadily. "Pristine artisan weapons forged long ago for the benefit of an important nobleman. These hammers are savage, boasting serrated claws intended for cutting through even the toguhest plate armour. Needless to say, your enemies will bleed." (REQUIRES 32 DEXTERITY, 24 PROWESS)

\- Quenching Amulet (ultra rare): Ebony-metal trinket with a cloudy blue gem encased in the centre. Increases doubloon count by 200% when placed in trinket spot. "Gilded amulet of the accursed seafarer Florentino. An associate of the despised merchant brothers of Freegalia, he eventually sought to betray them for wealth, only to find his hands severed at their base, and his beloved enchanted trinket lost forever to the depths of the sea."

\- Mystic Core (Ultimate reinforcement material, ultra rare)

You can quickly earn ranks in the pact by trading in Spirit Bottle Essences. You can earn the following rewards through levelling:

10 Essences: Fortune's Favour Tidal Divination: Requiring 31 ARCANE to cast, this spell grants a 200% and 150% increase, respectively, to item discovery and doubloon pickup for two minutes after casting.

25 Essences: Harpoon Launcher: Hybrid firearm/right-handed weapon which must be held in both hands. Fires off a medium-length harpoon attached to a metal cord, which will then be retracted with a subsequent R1 or R2, dealing additional damage like a boomerang. It can also be fired at a slight angle to catch sidestepping foes. "A brutal contraption used by Dayle whalers to haul in their catch. Should one be so consumed with murderous rage, it can be volleyed at human prey with extreme efficiency." (REQUIRES 44 PROWESS)

50 Essences: Pearl of the Treasured Sea: Trinket which provides the equivalent of two levels worth of enhancements to EVERY stat. Hell yeah this thing is OP. "A pearl prised from the jaws of a giant clam. This stone is entirely-unique, and is perhaps the rarest treasure ever claimed by Lana's Divers of Dayle."

If you say No to Lana's offer, she will give the following dialogue: "Hmmmph. Stubborn, I see. When you change your mind, I'll be here."

If for some dumb reason you strike her, she will fight you with a Harpoon Launcher, proving to be no pushover despite her goofy outfit. Killing her only nets you a Gold Nugget and 3'000 doubloons, so it is NOT worth doing.

When you are finally ready to continue, you will have to clamber through a dried-up fjord filled with bandits, their hunting doggos and a few new enemies, the Marauder Mages. These enemies, who are allied with the regular bandits, wear cloaked armour crafted out of the hide of a bear, complete with a hollowed-out jaw hat, and wield splintered wood catalysts. They will heal their allies, as well as unleash a steady spray of blue magic spears to cut you down. Occasionally they will drop their gear and weapon.

Marauder Mage Hat/Tunic/Gloves/Trousers: "Headgear/robe/gloves/boots of the marauding magus' who lurk in the valley between the city of Dayle and the neighbouring village of Mornan. Whilst most practioners of the magical arts prefer to use less barbaric methods of earning coin, these sorcerers have little regard for human life, and should be treated in kind."

Marauder Catalyst (for casting Tidal Divinations AND Hexes): "Catalyst wielded by the marauding magus' who lurk in the valley between the city of Dayle and the neighbouring village of Mornan. These staffs are constructed from the Weeping Trees, magicka-inflected conifers that were born when the glass tower of Podrice was unearthed, and thrust into the sunlight."

You can find a pair of Mystic Chunks and the Ring of Eternal Soul from the corpses littered about the dry, earthy path. The latter item, which boosts co-operation and allows you to summon additional phantoms as well as see additional warnings on the ground, has the following description: "Ring of the Order of Salidor, a gathering of the wisest sages in all of Dayle. Together, they poured all of their findings on the soul into this ring, which now bears the resonant power of interconnectedness."

Finally you reach the end of the fjord, and pass through an archway into a small, rustic settlement, the title card declaring that you have arrived in **Slumbering Mornan**. This location is unique, for there are no enemies, and the village is absolutely FILLED with living, breathing NPC characters. It is, in a sense, comparable to Majula, except with a more gothic atmosphere, with crooked iron fences surrounding most of the houses and a spoopy graveyard in the top right corner. At the right edge of the town is a path down towards a neglected, black-sanded beach.

The town is completely-optional, and you can wlak straight through it to this beach, but you'll be missing out on one of the most interesting sidepaths of the game. For, the second you step into the town, a wailing cry can be heard. A body - or to be more accurate, the top of a torso - is lying out in the path, and blood is strewn everywhere. A woman dressed in a servant's garb kneels over the body, sobbing. Approach her for some dialogue.

"What is this madness...? Blood shed all over our streets, and for what?"

"Who the blazes are you? A traveller? You've sure come at a sorry time to be alive. The corpse-eater has struck again!"

"Get away from me! I don't trust you strangers as far as I can throw you."

She has a pet wolfdog beside her which will antagonize you if you keep pressing to talk, to the point that on the fifth attempt, it will attack you. Killing it will lead the woman to descend into non-stop sobbing, from which she will never stop.

The most entrancing landmark of Mornan is the local inn, the 'Pony's Rest.' Unlike the 'Forsaken Anchor' back in Dayle, this locale is filled with a few NPC residents. Talk to the innkeeper, Maxwell, for a few (well, one) tidbits of dialogue.

"300 doubloons for a room. 200 for a casket of Mornan Mead. Otherwise, get out. I've got other patrons to attend to."

If you choose to pay for a Mornan Mead (there is no option to pay for a room; this ain't Skyrim, dawg!) you will discover its effects grant you a temporary aura of flame, which you can use by charging into enemies to damage them, a la Kirk's Thorned Armour from Dark Souls. Description: "The special brew of Slumbering Mornan, the last of the great crabbing villages on the coastline of Dayle. The village has little to offer but semi-pleasant scenery, but travellers often whisper of dark secrets at the heart of the town. Perhaps these are best left undisturbed."

Chatting to the man sat at the barstool proves to be a cheerier affair.

"Ahoy there, Freegalian! I'm Aaron, the best swordsman in Dayle. And you are?"

Reveal Name: "Wow. What a ridiculous name! And I thought my parents were unkind. How can I be of service to ye? For the price of one sovereign, I will follow you to the end of this wet earth!"

Refuse: "No matter, no matter. Here, have a rum you miserable sod! You look like you need it." (Gives you Dayle Rum)

Either choice will just realign in later dialogue. "I'm just travelling through, but I hear stories about a monster, living right under these poor people's noses! Can you imagine. A sheep in wolf's clothing, indeed. Ah, I think I got that old sayin' wrong. Oh well."

If you pay for his services, you can have him follow you as an immortal summon anywhere in the game for thirty minutes. However, his services are costly. One sovereign is the equivalent of 30'000 doubloons in the game. So you'll want to use him sparingly.

He has one final, interesting piece of dialogue, alluding to one of the other bar-goers. "You see that barnacle-buttocked imperial over there in the corner? He's called Drayle. He kills enemies of the blind old bat for the sheer enjoyment of it. Won't take a penny in payment. Seems like a waste of talent if you ask me. Anyhoo, I heard he just came back from Alscratio Island, and... well, he don't look so chipper any more, eh? Whatever happened there seems to have knocked the swagger right out of his boots."

Drayle, who wears the won't take kindly to your intrusion. "Go away."

When you don't, he just sighs, stands up, and pulls his Hunter's Spontoon on you. "If you won't heed my warning, you will heed my spear, you bloodied cutthroat."

He will start to fight you, somewhat slugglishly, with his Spontoon. If/when you reduce him to half-health, he will drop to his knees and beg for mercy, at which point he will sheathe his weapon and return to his seat. Proceed to kill Drayle, and he cries out "Bastard of Freegalia..." and drops the Imperial Summons key item. As you will be able to receive it in a less bloody way, there is no point in killing him when he surrenders. When he does, he will offer some proper dialogue.

"You're not like the others. I thank you, honorable blade, for reminding me of my duties."

"You may have heard some things about me. Yes, I am a knight in the employ of King Podrice. Yes, I kill for my king. But I do not fight without honour. At least, not until I ventured to Alscratio. I was, given an order... There was a rumour that both Captain Salidor and the brothers Hyraat and Boliver were hiding out on the treacherous archipelago. But, the truth of this claim I cannot say, for I was beaten back upon entrance by demons. Bloody, merciless things; transcendents of death itself. And, I ran... Like a cowardly dog, whimpering at the forefront of the fight. I am not fit to wear this armour."

"My shield-brother is a member of the Cursewarders. I always envied him. I wonder what he would think of me now. His name is Arell. Please, if you should ever see him, give him these."

He will now willingly part with the Imperial Summons item, which has the following description: "A summons delivered from the court of Podrice the Elder, king of Dayle. The paper is worn through and the wax seal has melted away to paste, leaving one to wonder how old these orders are. With a callous indifference, they order the recipient's presence on Alscratio Island, for the 'good of the kingdom of Dayle and all of its inhabitants.'"

This item has no current use, but if you ventured down this path before heading out to the Barren Sea Keep, you will be able to give it to Arell upon meeting him there.

Upon receiving the item, Arell offers some interesting dialogue: "So, Drayle yet lives? That is splendid news. Perhaps I shall be able to fight alongside him once more on this accursed isle. So it shall be."

At this point, Arell's questline will fracture, causing him to go to Alscratio (as you will see next installment) whereas he would have before gone back to Grassun Castle. However, whilst this is the more interesting direction for his story, both are equally as valid options.

Outside of the Pony's Rest are a few more locales. Outside of a scorching iron-brick forge is a woman wearing a blacksmith's apron and welding mask, who sells rare weapons and armaments.

"Hello, stranger! The name's Marcadia, the blacksmith of Mornan. Have you come to peer at my goods, or just look over my equipment? Haha. I tease, but I haven't had a customer in years. Please, make yourself comfortable." - An NPC who acknowledges boob-staring; egad!

She sells the following items:

\- Fanned Wristblades (40'000 doubloons): Paired knuckleduster-like weapons with a single, fanned set of razorblades spreading outwards, to be held with a small leather hilt. "Paired gauntlet weapons used by highly-skilled combatants. It has been nearly a century since anyone in Dayle wielded such finely-crafted weapons, but certain blacksmiths pride themselves on the restoration of unique and powerful weapons." (REQUIRES 27 SKILL, 22 DEXTERITY)

\- Reforge (26'000 doubloons): Tidal Divination which will restore your right-handed weapon to its full durability. (REQUIRES 26 ARCANE)

\- Marcadia's Artisan Bow (35'000 doubloons): A prototype modern compound bow which has been fitted to fire two arrows at once if you so choose, with the second being pulled from your secopndary ammo slot. "A magnificent hunter's bow, which has been highly-modified to use a pulley system of cables, allowing a much more powerful shot, as well as the capability to shoot two arrows, if one so chooses. Marcadia, who doesn't believe in a restrained weapon design, built this bow to resolve the long-disputed issue of requiring two separate arrows to put down a target."

\- Explosive and Lacerating Arrows (200/250 doubloons a piece): Specialist arrows to be equipped by any bow, although they are most effective in the Artisan Bow.

She has a bit of additional dialogue too. "This village was once peaceful. But someone here is a cold-blooded killer. A true, blackened psychopath. They say they even devour the corpses of their victims, too. If you were to find anything about this monster, please, don't hesitate to bring it to me. I'd love a go at that despicable creature."

If you try to kill her, which is not advisable since you cannot get any of her items any other way, she will use a pair of Fanned Wristblades to kick your ass back to Davy Jones' Locker. She is a tough opponent, striking quickly but defending with a stoicism that reminds one of Garl Vinland. It is clear she doesn't want to fight. If you do down her, you can receive her Iron Welding Mask, which has a short description: "Welding mask made of cast iron. Serves as decent protection for the head, as well as providing a small increase to fire resistance."

In a small, grey-stoned building surrounded with wrought iron railings, is a makeshift church. This one, however, does not worship the New Age; the room has a cold, dark feeling to it, with dimly-lit chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and stained glass depictions of an angelic figure, shrouded in dark robes. A single, solitary figure sits at the head of the pews, worshipping a stone statue of the angelic figure, wings spread wide apart. As you approach, he calls out to you.

"Halt! Go no further. In order to proceed, you must provide evidence of your devotion to the lord of this shrine. I beseech thee, draw your blood and place it in the basin to your left. Or turn around, and walk away. I won't ask again."

If you do approach the basin, you will have the option to 'Make Sacrifice.' If you choose to do this, you will watch a short cutscene where your character draws a knife and slices open their palm, letting a few drops of blood fall into the empty stone bowl. After this is done, the vicar is satisfied, and will allow you to approach him.

"Grand. In times such as these, it is vitally-rewarding to come across another devoted servant of our lord. You may call me Dahlor. What brings you to Mornan, faithful acolyte? There is naught but sorrow and slumber within these thin walls."

"Ahh, but you haven't come all this way just to satiate the Angel, have you? Here, take this. For your protection in these cold, dark streets."

He'll hand you a Futile Gem, a black and grey stone that swirls with a foreboding smoke. In the trinket spot, it will grant you +200 resistance to all damage types, but will cap your health bar at half-length. "Stone that bears a cold, nauseating dread. This is a frightful gemstone, to be worn only by those who value suffering, and the futility of life, over the rewards and virtues of existence." The emo stone can't be obtained by killing the vicar, and you don't want to initiate combat with him, for reasons that will become evident going forward.

Should you refuse the blood sacrifice and try to approach him, he will generate a thick wall of choking black fog, which you cannot pass without killing yourself, and arrows and bullets will simply dissipate as they hit the barrier, so theres no point trying to snipe him.

The final NPC of Mornan lives in the Mornan Graveyard, a wide cemetary area, within a small mausoleum atop a lonely little hill. He can be found embalming a dead body, which by the looks of things was a victim of the corpse-eating monster the townfolk keep warning you about.

Mausoleum Tender Xavier, a short elderly man wearing a greay and white garb, is an awkward, shifty little guy who remains hunchbacked throughout your encounter as he tends keenly to the body. He barely acknowledges you even when you get right in his face and press the 'Talk' option.

"What? Can't you see I'm bee-bee-busy? Scamper away, little Freegalian."

"Still hee-hee-here? You vulture, take it, take it! I have no need of treasures when I can enjoy the cold touch of death flesh!"

He gives you the Chipped Wing Effigy, which bears a resemblance to the wings of the angel statue in the church, only on a smaller scale.

This guy is super-obviously the killer in the town, which is why it comes across as such a HUUUUGE TWISTAROO when it becomes obvious he is actually a red herring. His next dialogue indicates where you should actually be placing your suspicions. "I found it on a bod-ee! One of the vile cannibal's kills! I think it belonged to him, and he drop-drop-dropped it! Do make sure to return it! Hee!" (LOOPS)

Striking him will cause him to go apeshit though, producing an embalming tool which can cut you for some piddly damage. When he dies, he will utter "Sweet death..." before dissolving, and leaving behind the Mausoleum Tender Set. "Hood/Garb/Skirt of Xavier, the mausoleum tender of Mornan's vast cemetary. Provides no protection from any form of attack, although it increases the power of Tidal Hexes by a vast amount. The deformed Xavier receives nothing but scorn from his fellow townsfolk, who fear his morbid affinity to death."

Bringing the Chipped Wing Effigy to Marcadia will offer new dialogue, as well as opening her up for summon outside the fog of this area's boss battle.

"Well, well... Looks like you've proven yourself to all of us. That sick fiend in the church will pay for his bloodletting in kind."

You've followed the town's questline through to its conclusion now. Take the Chipped Wing Effigy to Dahlor in his church, and his reaction will vary slightly, depending on whether you committed the blood sacrifice or not.

If you did, you can bring it straight to him, where he will offer the following dialogue. "So, you've sniffed me out. What do you intend to do about it?"

Do nothing: "Yes, as you should. Now, hurry along, the Angel needs more sacrifices."

Apprehend: The screen fades to black. You will get the same result if you approach him without having performed the sacrifice. He will lower his dark magic barrier, and stand up to full height, convulsing as a dark fog starts to shroud his body.

The cutscene shows his arms and chest contorting and transforming, as they turn into scaly, leathery bat wings, complete with some nasty serrated talons and his torso sprouts hair, the bones of his ribcage bulging through his skin. His bottom half remains human, however, as does his head. He snarls as a forked tongue slips through his teeth.

"Let the feast continue..." he whispers, before roaring.

Worth noting is that should you have performed the blood sacrifice, striking him will automatically begin this battle anyway, with altered dialogue that implies he is disappointed in you.

As the cutscene ends, you realise a boss fog has now covered the door leading outside. As the newly-transformed half-bat vicar charges you, you must begin your battle with **Dahlor, the Corpse-Eater**. In his first phase, his attacks are mostly-humanoid, only occasionally resorting to using his claws to slice you up. He wieldes a strange clock dial in his offhand which casts Tidal Hexes, including a Dark Orb-style attack and a poisonous cloud. In his right hand he has large axe with a wooden shaft and a dark metal head, which he uses to smash you with.

As he hits half-health, he falls to his knees, and a strange thing happens. Around his body, although clearly non-corporeal, appears a projection of the angel depicted in the stain glassed windows and the statue at the back of the church. As it shimmers with a light-grey aura, Dahlor undergoes full metamorphosis, becoming a terrifying bat creature that is visually-similar to the Demon Prince, except on a smaller scale, and without the aid of flames. The angel projection dissipates in a cloud of fog, leaving Dahlor to charge back into the fray.

The second phase of the fight is much more frantic as one would expect fleeing from a deformed bat creature. Dahlor can now fly up into the rafters, where he will perch briefly before soaring down to plunge down on your head for massive damage. He will also lunge forward, slashing in all directions, and his wings can reach behind him to catch players wailing on his buttocks. His most deadly attack is a giant black hole of convulsing dark which he can shoot from his mouth.

Suffice to say, with all of this going on, it's unlikely there will be any pews left at the end of the fight.

Striking the killing blow on Dahlor prompts him to start laughing maniacally, which slowly dulls to a hacking cough. With one final, parting remark, Dahlor utters "Your servitude is inevitable, oh slave of the sea..." before expiring, giving you the Devout Ink and 27'000 doubloons, alongside the Futile Gem if you didn't already receive it. The ink has the following description: "Ink drawn from the blackened blood of Mornan's odious preacher, Dahlor. Harbouring energies bestowed upon him by his abysmal lord, Dahlor was driven to consume everything around him, only to regurgitate it in an act of ritual sacrifice for the one who would embrace his inner monster." Using this ink to tattoo yourself will grant a 50% increase to the casting speed of Tidal Hexes, as well as reducing the FP taken by 30% for each spell.

Mornan's citizens are somewhat grateful for your help. The innkeeper Maxwell will reduce his prices by half, as will Marcadia, who will gift you her bow if you summoned her for the boss fight. Aaron will give you ten (!) Gold Nuggets for your trouble, whilst Xavier will just giggle and slobber.

Once you're finally ready to leave Mornan, proceed to the black-sanded beach to meet an enigmatic man leaning on a small rowboat.

"Good day! Do you need passage?"

Request passage to Alscratio Island: "Are you insane? That place... Well, you'd better have the coin to make it worth my while!" (10'000 doubloons are required)

Request passage to Grassun Harbour: "Hop in. I'll get you there in a jiffy." (3'000 doubloons)

If you go to Grassun this way, you will also be able to summon the boatman from there, and can catch a ride back to Mornan for 3'000 doubloons.

But it's time to stop beating around the bush; Alscratio is your clear destination, and so once you've packed your things, its time to head off to the forsaken isle.


End file.
